Particle surface modification to increase compatibility and stability in hydrogels

ABSTRACT

A composition for light filtering, the composition comprising a base material; a plurality of metal nanoparticles dispersed in the base material; a stabilizing mechanism disposed to selectively couple with at least a portion of the plurality of metal nanoparticles to enhance stability of at least the portion of the plurality of metal nanoparticles in the base material; and an anchoring mechanism disposed to promote chemical conjugation of at least a portion of the plurality of metal nanoparticles to the base material, wherein the composition exhibits a peak light filtering value in the range of about 600 nm to about 1000 nm, and wherein the composition exhibits a filtering spectrum having a full width at half maximum of about 58 nm-70 nm.

TECHNICAL FIELD

This application generally relates to methods of modifying nanoparticle surfaces. Moreover, this application relates to methods of increasing nanoparticle stability and integration.

BACKGROUND

Nanoparticle integration into hydrogels is desirable for a large variety of biomedical devices such as contact lenses for antibacterial, sensing and therapeutic applications (Clasky et al, Acta Biomaterialia 2021).

Current commercial contact lenses adjust the curvature of the eye and/or the refractive index to improve focusing. Preliminary research suggests that blocking specific ranges of light can help to limit the progression of myopia (Liu et al., Investig. Opthalmology Vis. Sci., 2014; Lingham, et al., Br J Ophthalmol, 2020; Long, et al., Cutan. Ocul. Toxicol., 2009; Wang, et al, Biomed Res. Int., 2013). Current strategies tailor the surface chemistry of gold nanoparticles by adding polymers and/or thiolated compounds. These compounds stabilize the nanoparticles as colloidal suspensions via either steric or electrostatic interactions. However, the materials that can be used are limited by their ability to stabilize the nanoparticles.

Methods for functionalizing gold nanoparticles exist in literature. Pekcevik et al, 2013 provided an intermediate layer of poly(vinylpyrrolidone) (PVP) on gold nanorods by displacing the cetyltrimethylammonium bromide (CTAB). PVP has been used as both an intermediate ligand for colloidal nanoparticles (Fan et al, 2020) and as a co-coating with alkanethiols on Au surfaces (Zhang et al, 2017). Due to the high surface energy and increased demand for stability (via either steric or electrostatic interactions), tailoring the surface chemistry of colloidal systems is significantly more difficult compared to metal surfaces. While crosslinking moieties have previously been coated onto colloidal gold nanoparticles as thiolated methacrylates (Biradar et al, 2012), the colloidal stability was limited and higher graft density of polymers (i.e. degree of nanoparticle polymerization) was required to produce sterically stabilized nanoparticles.

A method describing the dispersion of metal nanoparticles for optical filtering in sunglasses is described in US 2007/0298242A1. Gold nanoparticles or dyes are dispersed in a polymer matrix, and the composite either acts as a lens itself or is used as a coating on one or both faces of a lens. US 2007/0298242A1 does not disclose information pertaining to the immobilization of the light blocking materials within the polymer matrix requisite for light blocking material integration into soft materials.

Another example of incorporating nanoparticles into polymer matrices is described in US20080203592A1 wherein a dry hydrogel contact lens is hydrated in a hydrating solution, wherein the hydrating solution comprises silver ions, silver nanoparticles, or combinations thereof, a lubricant or wetting agent, or combinations thereof. The silver nanoparticles and/or the lubricant or wetting agent are adsorbed onto and/or entrapped in the hydrogel contact lens during the extraction step and/or the hydrating step. While the method described may be translatable to gold nanoparticles and/or dyes, the patent does not disclose information pertaining to light blocking materials or to the chemical embedding of these materials in the final product. The nanoparticles are added after the contact lens has been cured which has implications for nanoparticle distribution within the contact lens.

A recent publication (Salih et al, ACS Nano 2021) demonstrates nanoparticle addition to contact lens materials prior to lens curing but only uses commercially available citrate-coated gold nanoparticles that were purchased from Sigma-Aldrich and used as is. The gold nanoparticles used in this study are spherical and represent the most thermodynamically stable product of gold nanocrystals (i.e. the morphology that minimizes surface energy to the largest extent). While gold nanoparticles can achieve the chemical and physical stability by virtue of their innate properties, neither versatility nor tunability were demonstrated. The integration strategy of this study (i.e. citrate coating) cannot be extended to anisotropic nanoparticles due to the high surface energy and thermal reshaping.

However, improvements are needed.

SUMMARY

Disclosed herein are systems, compositions, and methods for increasing compatibility and stability in hydrogels.

One general aspect includes a composition for light filtering. The composition also includes a base material; a plurality of gold nanoparticles dispersed in the base material; a stabilizing mechanism disposed to selectively couple with at least a portion of the plurality of gold nanoparticles to enhance stability of at least the portion of the plurality of gold nanoparticles in the base material; and an anchoring mechanism disposed to promote chemical conjugation of at least a portion of the plurality of gold nanoparticles to the base material, where the composition exhibits a peak light filtering value in the range of about 600 nm to about 1000 nm, and where the composition exhibits a filtering spectrum having a full width at half maximum of about 58 nm 70 nm.

One general aspect includes a composition for light filtering. The composition also includes a base material; a plurality of metal nanoparticles dispersed in the base material; a stabilizing mechanism disposed to selectively couple with at least a portion of the plurality of metal nanoparticles to enhance stability of at least the portion of the plurality of metal nanoparticles in the base material; and an anchoring mechanism disposed to promote chemical conjugation of at least a portion of the plurality of metal nanoparticles to the base material, where the composition exhibits a peak light filtering value in the range of about 600 nm to about 1000 nm, and where the composition exhibits a filtering spectrum having a full width at half maximum of about 58 nm 70 nm.

One general aspect includes a composition for light filtering. The composition also includes a base material; a plurality of nanoparticles dispersed in the base material; where the composition exhibits a peak light filtering value in the range of about 600 nm to about 1000 nm, and where the composition exhibits a filtering spectrum having a full width at half maximum of about 58 nm 70 nm.

One general aspect includes a contact lens comprising a composition for light filtering as described herein, wherein the contact lens is a free radical reaction product of a reactive mixture comprising: one or more silicone-containing components and one or more hydrophilic components, the contact lens having a water content of at least about 20 weight percent, preferably at least about 30 percent, and an oxygen permeability of at least about 80 barrers, preferably at least about 100 barrers.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

The following drawings show generally, by way of example, but not by way of limitation, various examples discussed in the present disclosure. In the drawings:

FIG. 1 displays two potential surface modification strategies according to aspects of the current invention.

FIGS. 2A-2B display the effects of fully methacrylating nanoparticles. FIG. 2A displays an absorbance spectra of cetyltrimethylammonium bromide-coated (CTAB-coated) nanoparticles and fully methacrylated nanoparticles. FIG. 2B shows fully methacrylated nanoparticles dispersed in 2-Hydroxyethyl methacrylate (HEMA).

FIG. 3 displays results of the use of ethanol in ligand exchange of poly(vinylpyrrolidone) PVP-coated nanoparticles with Bis(2-methacryloyl)oxyethyl disulfide DSDMA.

FIG. 4 displays results of the use of tetrahydrofuran (THF) in ligand exchange of poly(vinylpyrrolidone)-coated (PVP-coated) nanoparticles with Bis(2-methacryloyl)oxyethyl disulfide DSDMA.

FIGS. 5A-5D display a methacrylation parameter investigation FIGS. 5A and 5C show absorbance spectra and solubility results of solutions of varying Bis(2-methacryloyl)oxyethyl disulfide/gold (DSDMA/Au) molar ratios suspended in HEMA. FIGS. 5B and 5D show absorbance spectra and solubility results, respectively, of 25×samples incubated for various times.

FIG. 6 shows Fourier-Transform Infrared (FTIR) spectroscopy results used to verify surface chemistries of nanoparticles.

FIG. 7 shows absorbance spectra of nanoparticle-laden contact lenses, wherein the nanoparticles comprise varying surface chemistries.

FIG. 8 shows absorbance spectra (left) and appearance (right) of nanoparticle-laden contact lenses with various degrees of methacrylation.

FIG. 9 displays percentage of Au leached from contact lenses following autoclaving. Samples are derived from bipyramids filtering at 647 nm (BP-647) using varying weights of poly(vinylpyrrolidone)-coated (PVP) (e.g. 55 kDa, 360 kDa, and 1300 kDa).

FIG. 10 displays percentage of Au leached from contact lenses following autoclaving after 7 days in storage. Samples are derived from bipyramids filtering at 647 nm (BP-647) using varying weights of poly(vinylpyrrolidone)-coated (PVP) (e.g. 55 kDa, 360 kDa, and 1300 kDa).

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

There exists a significant need to develop light filtering (e.g., blocking) materials with certain optical properties. Such optical properties may include, but are not limited to, specificity towards certain wavelengths, versatility to tailor light filtering to different regions of the visible spectrum, resistance to thermal and mechanical stress, resistance to corrosion and oxidation, and long-term stability to UV exposure. A need for long-term stability may pose an additional need to develop methods including, but not limited to, broadening the functionality of gold nanoparticles, stabilizing functionalized nanoparticles in colloidal systems, adapting nanoparticles to different needs depending on the application, and imbuing long-term colloidal stability.

While approaches to selective light filtering and nanoparticle surface functionalization exist, there are no solutions that use a co-coating method to improve stability and to integrate completely into the biomaterial, can be tuned to different wavelengths of interest without changing the fundamental mechanism or composition, can withstand long-term storage, autoclaving, and UV exposure, and can be readily adopted commercially Autoclaving may refer to sterilization procedures utilizing elevated levels of stress for extended periods of time. Stress may comprise thermal or mechanical stress. Thermal stress may arise from elevated temperatures. Mechanical stress may arise from elevated pressures. Extended periods of time may comprise ranges of about 15 minutes up to about 60 minutes, though longer or shorter times may be used. As non-limiting examples, extended periods of time may range from about 20 min up to about 60 min, about 25 min up to about 60 min, about 30 min up to about 60 min, about 35 min up to about 60 min, about 40 min up to about 60 min, about 45 min up to about 60 min, about 50 min up to about 60 min, or about 55 min up to about 60 min. Elevated temperatures may range from about 20° C. up to about 130° C., though other temperatures may be applied. As non-limiting examples elevated temperatures may range from about 20° C. up to about 130° C., about 30° C. up to about 130° C., about 40° C. up to about 130° C., about 50° C. up to about 130° C., about 60° C. up to about 130° C., about 70° C. up to about 130° C., about 80° C. up to about 130° C., about 90° C. up to about 130° C., about 100° C. up to about 130° C., or about 110° C. up to about 130° C. Elevated pressures may comprise pressures of about 290 kPa and above, though other pressures may be used. As non-limiting examples, elevated pressures may comprise pressures of about 290 kPa up to about 360 kPa, 300 kPa up to about 360 kPa, 310 kPa up to about 360 kPa, 320 kPa up to about 360 kPa, 330 kPa up to about 360 kPa, 340 kPa up to about 360 kPa, or 350 kPa up to about 360 kPa Since this research is still developing and individual needs can vary drastically, it is essential that a mechanism by which specific light filtering is achieved meet certain criteria. These criteria may comprise modularity and tunability for different wavelengths.

The present disclosure relates to methods of producing nanoparticles such as metal nanoparticles, and in particular gold nanoparticles. The present disclosure further relates to methods of engineering the shape of nanoparticles. Such shape engineering may facilitate filtering specific light ranges in the range of about 600 nm up to about 1000 nm Engineering nanoparticle shape may lead to anisotropic gold nanoparticles. Such particles may have sharp features. Higher surface energy associated with sharper features of anisotropic gold particles may lead to thermal reshaping at high temperatures. This reshaping may result from diffusion of surface atoms to lower energy configurations. This reshaping may further require additional nanoparticle modification to imbue thermal stability. The present disclosure relates to such modification, overcoming significant barriers to commercialization.

As a non-limiting example, thermal reshaping has been shown to depend on aspect ratios of rod-shaped nanoparticles due to the propensity of gold atoms at the ends of a rod to diffuse to the center under various stressors (e g thermal stress, mechanical stress, etc.). At high aspect ratios, a threat of Rayleigh instability also exists. Rayleigh instability may facilitate nanorods breaking into a chain of nanospheres. This may result due to the increased surface tension upon reshaping.

The present disclosure relates to coating nanoparticles. Such nanoparticles may exhibit photophysical properties. Coating nanoparticles may facilitate increased nanoparticle stability and integration. Nanoparticles can be integrated as tunable optical filters in optically transparent substrates to produce devices. Devices may comprise ophthalmic devices. However, nanoparticles may also be integrated into other devices.

The present disclosure relates to a stabilizing mechanism. Such stabilizing mechanism may comprise displacing cetyltrimethylammonium bromide (CTAB) on a nanoparticle surface with poly(vinylpyrrolidone) (PVP) in a concentrated solution of PVP. Such concentrated solution may further comprise ethanol. Such a procedure may comprise an early step to produce PVP-coated nanoparticles. The present disclosure extends beyond the method of synthesizing PVP-coated nanoparticles.

The present disclosure relates to providing nanoparticles with additional functionality for gel integration. The present disclosure further relates to an anchoring mechanism. Such anchoring mechanism may provide improved long-term colloidal stability of nanoparticles. The present disclosure relates to a method of providing nanoparticles with increased thermal stability (nanoparticles in literature were reported to crash at 90° C.) and gel dispersion.

The present disclosure relates to a method of integrating light filtering materials into biomaterials. Such biomaterials may comprise hydrogels. Such hydrogels may further comprise contact lenses. As a non-limiting example, the present disclosure relates to adding light filtering materials to a contact lens before curing to ensure full integration and a more uniform distribution within the final product. The integration of a light filtering material into a contact lens requires that these materials to be stable and retained for long periods of time.

The present disclosure relates to a gold nanoparticle. The disclosure may relate to a gold nanoparticle that blocks light. Such a gold nanoparticle may block light in the range of about 600 nm up to about 1000 nm. Such a gold nanoparticle may further be colloidally stable at room temperature in water. The disclosure relates to a method to synthesize a nanoparticle coated in a surfactant. In such an aspect, a surfactant may cetyltrimethylammonium bromide (CTAB). In such aspects, a surfactant may also be reasonably replaced with other coatings. Other such coatings may comprise cetyltrimethylammonium chloride (CTAC), trisodium citrate, or other surfactants known in the art.

In an aspect, the disclosure relates to a stabilizing mechanism. In such aspects, a stabilizing mechanism may comprise 55 kDa poly(vinyl pyrrolidone) (PVP) polymer chains. A stabilizing mechanism may further comprise additional molecular weights. Such molecular weights may range from about 55 kDa up to about 1300 kDa. In such aspects, a stabilizing mechanism may stabilize nanoparticles. The monomer units of PVP comprise nitrogen atoms with lone pairs of electrons. Lone pairs of electrons may bind to the surface of gold nanoparticles. In such an aspect, a binding of PVP to the surface of a gold nanoparticles may enhance colloidal stability. As a non-limiting example, PVP may be conjugated to a nanoparticle surface by incubating nanoparticles in a high-concentration solution of PVP overnight at 40° C. Such solution may further comprise ethanol (>10% w/v) with a small amount of sodium dodecyl sulfate (0.6% w/v in water).

The present disclosure relates to an anchoring mechanism. An anchoring mechanism may facilitate integration of a nanoparticle into a biomaterial. An anchoring mechanism may partially replace a stabilizing mechanism. Such biomaterial may comprise a HEMA-based formulation. As a non-limiting example, an anchoring mechanism may comprise a thiolated compound. A thiolated compound may further comprise a thiolated methacrylate dimer, such as bis(2-methacryloyl)oxyethyl disulfide (i e. DSDMA). Such a thiolated methacrylate dimer comprises a disulfide bond that may allow the formation of a strong Au-thiolate bond with the gold nanoparticle surface. A methacrylate chemical group comprises a C═C double bond. A C═C double bond may participate in UV-triggered polymerization within a contact lens. Methacrylate is a component of HEMA-based contact lenses. Therefore, incorporation of light filtering materials of the disclosure does not significantly affect a final nanoparticle-laden biomaterial. A nanoparticle-laden biomaterial may comprise a HEMA-based contact lens. Factors potentially affected of a final nanoparticle-laden biomaterial may comprise mechanical properties, size, form factor, hydro-swelling, and other such factors known in the art Incorporation of light filtering materials of the disclosure does not compromise the clarity and transparency of the final nanoparticle-laden biomaterial. A nanoparticle-laden biomaterial may comprise a HEMA-based contact lens. A thiolated compound may further comprise DNA aptamers, other targeting moieties, stimulus-responsive chemical groups, or a combination thereof. An anchoring mechanism may comprise a variety of monomers and other such compounds aside from thiolated compounds may allow for the integration of nanoparticles into a variety of biomaterials.

The present disclosure relates to methods of co-coating light-blocking materials. The disclosure relates to gold nanoparticles. The shape of such gold nanoparticles can be selected. The disclosure further relates to a stabilizing mechanism. The disclosure further relates to an anchoring mechanism. An anchoring mechanism may facilitate the conjugation of a nanoparticle to a biomaterial. A combination of a stabilizing mechanism and an anchoring mechanism may facilitate the retention of nanoparticles' intrinsic properties. Such properties may include, but are not limited to, the size distribution and localized surface plasmon resonance of given nanoparticles. In some views, a higher utilization of an anchoring mechanism might be misconstrued as to improve overall nanoparticle stability.

Nanoparticle stability may comprise the stability of the nanoparticle itself (e.g. thermal stability) and the ability of a nanoparticle to integrate into a biomaterial (e.g. colloidal stability). The present disclosure asserts that this is not necessarily true. Moreover, the present disclosure describes an optimum combination of a stabilizing mechanism and an anchoring mechanism. In such an aspect, said optimum combination may balance nanoparticle stability with biomaterial integration. In an aspect, anchoring to the biomaterial by an anchoring mechanism may facilitate long-term colloidal stability of a nanoparticle following autoclaving and storage. This long-term stability may result from the nanoparticle chemically attaching (i.e. conjugating) to a biomaterial. A nanoparticle such conjugated does not leach from a biomaterial under thermal (e.g. heat) or mechanical (e.g. pressure) stress. In additional aspects, various anchoring mechanisms known in the art (e.g. monomers, polymers, etc.) may be used to allow nanoparticle integration into various biomaterials. In further additional aspects, nanoparticles of a variety of shapes, as described in the disclosure, may be integrated into a variety of biomaterials. The disclosure is to be appreciated as enabling a variety of nanoparticles of different shapes to be integrated into a wide variety of biomaterials using a variety of anchoring and stabilizing mechanisms.

As used herein. “stability” after autoclaving may comprise minimizing a change in longitudinal peak, peak ratio, color change, color intensity (absolute value of peak), leaching, or particle aggregation (which causes photonic shift), or a combination thereof in response to an event such as autoclaving. As an illustrative example, the compositions of the present disclosure exhibit stability after autoclaving which may be measured by comparing various characteristics of pre- and post-autoclaved compositions such as longitudinal peak, peak ratio, color change, color intensity (absolute value of peak), leaching, or particle aggregation (which causes photonic shift), or a combination thereof. Stability may be a measure of the reduction in change of such characteristics after autoclaving, when compared to the composition prior to autoclaving.

The disclosure relates to an optimization of a stabilizing mechanism and an anchoring mechanism. In such an aspect, an anchoring mechanism, may not stabilize a nanoparticle within a biomaterial on its own. The utilization of solely an anchoring mechanism may not maintain the stability of the nanoparticle itself. Such a loss of nanoparticle stability may lead to alteration of native nanoparticle properties. Native nanoparticle properties may comprise size distribution, localized surface plasmon resonance, and other such properties. Optimization of the degree of conjugation of a stabilizing mechanism in view of the degree of conjugation of an anchoring mechanism may allow nanoparticle functionality to be maintained in addition to allowing nanoparticle integration into a variety of biomaterials. In such aspects, thermal stability and colloidal stability are achieved.

The present disclosure relates to methods of modulating a ratio of stabilizing mechanisms to anchoring mechanisms conjugated to a nanoparticle. Modulation may be achieved by controlling a variety of factors. Such factors may include, but are not limited to, molar ratios, incubation times, incubation temperatures, and other such factors known in the art to affect reaction outcomes. Reaction outcomes may be related to selectivity, yield, and other such outcomes known in the art.

The present disclosure relates to a base material. Such a base material may comprise, a biomaterial, a biomaterial matrix, a hydrogel, and other such materials known in the art. The disclosure further relates to nanoparticles. Such nanoparticles may comprise gold. Gold nanoparticles may be grown from a pentatwinned gold seed, though other methods of synthesis are known in the art. Such nanoparticles may comprise shapes. Such shapes may be anisotropic. Such shapes may be bipyramids. Alternative shapes are known in the art and may comprise, but are not limited to, cubic shape, a nanorod shape, an octahedral shape, a decahedral shape, a cuboctahedral shape, a tetrahedral shape, a rhombic dodecahedral shape, a truncated ditetragonal prismatic shape, or a truncated bitetrahedral shape. The present disclosure further relates to a stabilizing mechanism. Such stabilizing mechanism may comprise a polymer. Such polymers may comprise a variety of molecular weights. Such polymer may comprise PVP. Alternative polymers are known in the art and may comprise, but are not limited to, poly(ethylene glycol) (PEG), polycarbonate, poly(vinyl alcohol) (PVA), polyvinylpyrrolidone (PVP), polystyrene (PS), polycaprolactone (PCL), ethylene oligomers or polyethylene (PE), polypropylene (PP), and poly(methyl methacrylate) (PMMA), as well as copolymers or blends thereof. Such polymer may comprise PVP with molecular weights of about 55 kDa up to about 1300 kDa. The present disclosure relates to a method of coupling a gold nanoparticle to a stabilizing mechanism. Coupling may occur through chemical conjugation. Such coupling may be selective. Such coupling may enhance colloidal and/or thermal stability of a nanoparticle, as well as biocompatibility. The present disclosure relates to an anchoring mechanism. Such anchoring mechanism may comprise a thiolated methacrylate dimer. Such thiolated methacrylate dimer may comprise bis(2-methacryloyl)oxyethyl disulfide (i.e. DSDMA), though other examples exist. Other such examples may include, but are not limited to, ethylene glycol dimethacrylate (EGDMA), tetraethylene glycol dimethacrylate (TEGDMA), trimethylolpropane trimethacrylate (TMPTMA), triallyl cyanurate (TAC), glycerol trimethacrylate, methacryloxyethyl vinylcarbonate (HEMAVc), allyl methacrylate, methylene bisacrylamide (MBA), polyethylene glycol dimethacrylate, 1,4-phenylene diacrylate, 1,4-phenylene dimethacrylate, 2,2-bis(4-methacryloxyphenyl)-propane, 2,2-bis[4-(2-acryloxyethoxy)phenyl]propane, 2,2-bis[4-(2-hydroxy-3-methacryloxypropoxy)-phenyl]propane, and 4-vinylbenzyl methacrylate. The present disclosure relates to a method of coupling a gold nanoparticle to an anchoring mechanism. Coupling may occur through chemical conjugation. Such coupling may be selective. Such coupling may enhance colloidal and/or thermal stability of a nanoparticle, as well as biocompatibility. The present disclosure further relates to a method of coupling an anchoring mechanism to a base material A base material may comprise biomaterials, as described above. Conjugation of an anchoring mechanism to a gold nanoparticle and a base material may comprise a crosslinking. Such crosslinking may facilitate integration into a base material of a nanoparticle. The present disclosure relates to a composition, wherein a base material comprising nanoparticles, a stabilizing mechanism, and an anchoring mechanism exhibits a peak light filtering in the range of about 600 nm up to about 1000 nm. Such peak light filtering may be tuned through tuning nanoparticle morphology. Morphology may be tuned by configuring an aspect ratio defined by a quotient of major and minor axes length, a volume, sharpness, and/or other related features. Aspect ratios may be tuned to about 1.9 up to about 2.9, though other such aspect ratios may be possible. As non-limiting examples, aspect ratios may range from about 1.9 up to about 2.8, about 1.9 up to about 2.7, about 1.9 up to about 2.6, about 1.9 up to about 2.5, about 1.9 up to about 2.4, about 1.9 up to about 2.3, about 1.9 up to about 2.2, about 1.9 up to about 2.1, about 1.9 up to about 2.0, about 2.0 up to about 2.8, about 2.0 up to about 2.7, about 2.0 up to about 2.6, about 2.0 up to about 2.5, about 2.0 up to about 2.4, about 2.0 up to about 2.3, about 2.0 up to about 2.2, or about 2.0 up to about 2.1. Volumes may be tuned to about 250 nm³ up to about 30,000 nm³, though other such volumes may be possible. As non-limiting examples, volumes may be tuned to about 1,250 nm³ up to about 30,000 nm³, about 2,250 nm³ up to about 30,000 nm³, about 3,250 nm³ up to about 30,000 nm³, about 4,250 nm³ up to about 30,000 nm³, about 5,250 nm³ up to about 30,000 nm³, about 6,250 nm³ up to about 30,000 nm³, about 7,250 nm³ up to about 30,000 nm³, about 8,250 nm³ up to about 30,000 nm³, about 9,250 nm³, up to about 30,000 nm³, about 10,250 nm³ up to about 30,000 nm³, about 11,250 nm³ up to about 30,000 nm³, about 12,250 nm³ up to about 30,000 nm³, about 13,250 nm³ up to about 30,000 nm³, about 14,250 nm³ up to about 30,000 nm³, about 15,250 nm³ up to about 30,000 nm³, about 16,250 nm³ up to about 30,000 nm³, about 17,250 nm³ up to about 30,000 nm³, about 18,250 nm; up to about 30,000 nm³, about 19,250 nm³ up to about 30,000 nm³, about 20,250 nm³ up to about 30,000 nm³, about 21,250 nm³ up to about 30,000 nm³, about 22,250 nm³ up to about 30,000 nm³, about 23,250 nm³ up to about 30,000 nm³, about 24,250 nm, up to about 30,000 nm, about 25,250 nm³ up to about 30,000 nm³, about 26,250 nm² up to about 30,000 nm³, about 27,250 nm³ up to about 30,000 nm³, about 28,250 nm³ up to about 30,000 nm³ about 29,250 nm³ up to about 30,000 nm³. Such tuning may result in a Full Width at Half Maximum (FWHM) value of about 54 nm³ up to about 58 nm. As non-limiting examples, FWHM values may range from about 54 nm³ up to about 57 nm, about 54 nm³ up to about 56 nm, about 54 nm³ up to about 55 nm, about 55 nm³ up to about 58 nm, about 56 nm³ up to about 58 nm, or about 57 nm³ up to about 58 nm. Such tuning may result in a Full Width at Half Maximum (FWHM) value of about 54 nm³ up to about 70 nm, or intervening endpoints. As non-limiting examples, FWHM values may range from about 55 nm to about 70 nm, about 56 nm to about 70 nm, about 57 nm to about 70 nm, about 58 nm to about 70 nm, about 59 nm to about 70 nm, about 60 nm to about 70 nm, about 61 nm to about 70 nm, about 62 nm to about 70 nm, about 63 nm to about 70 nm, about 64 nm to about 70 nm, about 65 nm to about 70 nm, about 66 nm to about 70 nm, about 67 nm to about 70 nm, about 68 nm to about 70 nm, about 69 nm to about 70 nm, about 54 nm to about 69 nm, about 54 nm to about 68 nm, about 54 nm to about 67 nm, about 54 nm to about 66 nm, about 54 nm to about 65 nm, about 54 nm to about 64 nm, about 54 nm to about 63 nm, about 54 nm to about 62 nm, about 54 nm to about 61 nm, about 54 nm to about 60 nm, about 54 nm to about 59 nm, about 54 nm to about 58 nm, about 54 nm to about 57 nm, about 54 nm to about 56 nm, or about 54 nm to about 55 nm.

Additional capabilities relating to the present disclosure exist. The present disclosure additionally relates to a variety of polymers, thiolated compounds, and other such compounds known in the art that may be grafted to the surface of nanoparticles. The use of various polymers, thiolated compounds, and other such compounds may enable the integration of nanoparticles into a variety of biomaterials. Such nanoparticles, may comprise a variety of shapes. The disclosure is therefore independent of a specific biomaterial. Moreover, the disclosure relates to the incorporation of a variety of shapes of nanoparticles further comprising a variety of stabilizing mechanisms and further comprising a variety of anchoring mechanisms into virtually any biomaterial of interest. Non-limiting examples of biomaterials may comprise hydrogel or silicone hydrogel material suitable for use in the formation of a soft contact lens. Such materials are known in the art and include Group 1—Low Water (<50% H2O) Nonionic Hydrogel Polymers (e.g., tefilcon, tetrafilcon A, crofilcon, helfilcon A, helfilcon B, mafilcon, polymacon, hioxifilcon B); Group 2-High Water (>50% H2O) Nonionic Hydrogel Polymers (e.g., surtilcon A, lidofilcon A, lidotilcon B, netrafilcon A, hefilcon B, alphafilcon A, omafilcon A, omafilcon B, vasurfilcon A, hioxitilcon A, hioxifilcon D, neltilcon A, hilafilcon A, hilafilcon B, acofilcon A, nesofilcon A); Group 3-Low Water (<50% H2O) Ionic Hydrogel Polymers (e.g., bufilcon A. deltafilcon A, phemfilcon); Group 4-High Water (>50% H2O) Ionic Hydrogel Polymers (e.g., bufilcon A, pertilcon A, etafilcon A, focofilcon A, ocufilcon A, ocufilcon B, ocufilcon C, ocufilcon D. ocufilcon E, ocufilcon F, phemfilcon A, methafilcon A, methafilcon B, vilfilcon A); and Silicone Hydrogel Polymers (e.g., lotrafilcon A, lotrafilcon B, galyfilcon A, senofilcon A, senofilcon C, sifilcon A, comfilcon A. enfilcon A, balafilcon A, delefilcon A, narafilcon B, narafilcon A, stenfilcon A, somofilcon A, fanfilcon A, samfilcon A, elastofilcon).

As described in the disclosure, all methods may be performed under moderate and ambient conditions.

Definitions

It is to be understood that the invention is not limited to the details of construction or process steps set forth in the following description. The invention is capable of other embodiments and of being practiced or being carried out in various ways using the teaching herein.

With respect to the terms used in this disclosure, the following definitions are provided.

Unless defined otherwise, all technical and scientific terms used herein have the same meaning as commonly understood by one of ordinary skill in the art to which the invention belongs. The polymer definitions are consistent with those disclosed in the Compendium of Polymer Terminology and Nomenclature, IUPAC Recommendations 2008, edited by: Richard G. Jones, Jaroslav Kahovec, Robert Stepto, Edward S. Wilks, Michael Hess, Tatsuki Kitayama, and W. Val Metanomski. All publications, patent applications, patents, and other references mentioned herein are incorporated by reference.

As used herein, the term “(meth)” designates optional methyl substitution. Thus, a term such as “(meth)acrylates” denotes both methacrylates and acrylates.

The term “individual” includes humans and vertebrates.

The term “ophthalmic device” refers to any device which resides in or on the eye or any part of the eye, including the ocular surface. These devices can provide optical correction, cosmetic enhancement, vision enhancement, therapeutic benefit (for example as bandages) or delivery of active components such as pharmaceutical and nutraceutical components, or a combination of any of the foregoing. Examples of ophthalmic devices include but are not limited to lenses, optical and ocular inserts, including but not limited to punctal plugs, and the like. “Lenses” include soft contact lenses, hard contact lenses, hybrid contact lenses, intraocular lenses, and overlay lenses. The ophthalmic device may comprise a contact lens.

The term “contact lens” refers to an ophthalmic device that can be placed on the cornea of an individual's eye. The contact lens may provide corrective, cosmetic, or therapeutic benefit, including wound healing, the delivery of drugs or nutraceuticals, diagnostic evaluation or monitoring, ultraviolet light filtering, visible light or glare reduction, or any combination thereof. A contact lens can be of any appropriate material known in the art and can be a soft lens, a hard lens, or a hybrid lens containing at least two distinct portions with different physical, mechanical, or optical properties, such as modulus, water content, light transmission, or combinations thereof.

The ophthalmic devices and lenses described herein may be comprised of silicone hydrogels or conventional hydrogels. Silicone hydrogels typically include at least one hydrophilic monomer and at least one silicone-containing component that are covalently bound to one another in the cured device.

As used herein, the terms “physical absorption” or “chemical absorption” refer to processes in which atoms, molecules, or particles enter the bulk phase of a gas, liquid, or solid material and are taken up within the volume. Absorption in this manner may be driven by solubility, concentration gradients, temperature, pressure, and other driving forces known in the art.

As used herein, “adsorption” is defined as the deposition of a species onto a surface. The species that gets adsorbed on a surface is known as an adsorbate, and the surface on which adsorption occurs is known as an adsorbent. Examples of adsorbents may comprise clay, silica gel, colloids, metals, nanoparticles etc Adsorption may occur via chemical or physical adsorption. Chemical adsorption may occur when an adsorbate is held to the an adsorbent via chemical bonds, whereas physical adsorption may occur when an adsorbate is joined to an adsorbent via weak van der Waal's forces.

As used herein, “antibacterial” means intended to kill or reduce the harmful effects of bacteria.

As used herein, “colloid” refers to dispersions of wherein one substance is suspended in another. Many examples of colloids in the art contain polymers. In this aspect, polymers may be adsorbed or chemically attached to the surface of particles suspended in the colloid, or the polymers may freely move in the colloidal suspension. The presence of polymers on particles in the suspension may directly relate to “colloidal stability.” wherein “colloidal stability” refers to the tendency of a colloidal suspension to undergo sedimentation. Sedementation would result in the falling of particles out of a colloid. Polymers adsorbed or chemically attached to a particle may affect its colloidal stability.

As used herein, the term “diffusion” refers to the process wherein there is a net flow of matter from one region to another. An example of such process is “surface diffusion,” wherein particles move from one area of the surface of a subject to another area of the same surface. This can be caused by thermal stress or applied pressure.

As used herein, “DNA aptamers” refer to short biomolecules like oligonucleotides and peptides that bind to specific targets with extremely high affinity based on their structural conformations DNA aptamers have been explored in areas such as disease diagnosis, therapeutics, etc.

As used herein, a “surfactant” refers to a substance that, when added to a liquid, reduces its surface tension, thereby increasing its spreading and wetting properties. Typical surfactants may be partly hydrophilic and partly lipophilic.

As used herein, the term “wetting agent” refers to a material that allows a liquid to more easy spread on or “wet” a surface. The high surface tension of water causes problems in many industrial processes where water-based solutions are used, as the solution is not able to wet the surface it is applied to. Wetting agents are commonly used to reduce the surface tension of water and thus help the water-based solutions to spread.

“Target macromolecule” means the macromolecule being synthesized from the reactive monomer mixture comprising monomers, macromers, prepolymers, cross-linkers, initiators, additives, diluents, and the like.

The term “polymerizable compound” means a compound containing one or more polymerizable groups. The term encompasses, for instance, monomers, macromers, oligomers, prepolymers, cross-linkers, and the like.

“Polymerizable groups” are groups that can undergo chain growth polymerization, such as free radical and/or cationic polymerization, for example a carbon-carbon double bond which can polymerize when subjected to radical polymerization initiation conditions. Non-limiting examples of free radical polymerizable groups include (meth)acrylates, styrenes, vinyl ethers. (meth)acrylamides, N-vinyllactams, N-vinylamides, O-vinylcarbamates, O-vinylcarbonates, and other vinyl groups. Preferably, the free radical polymerizable groups comprise (meth)acrylate, (meth)acrylamide, N-vinyl lactam, N-vinylamide, and styryl functional groups, and mixtures of any of the foregoing. More preferably, the free radical polymerizable groups comprise (meth)acrylates, (meth)acrylamides, and mixtures thereof. The polymerizable group may be unsubstituted or substituted. For instance, the nitrogen atom in (meth)acrylamide may be bonded to a hydrogen, or the hydrogen may be replaced with alkyl or cycloalkyl (which themselves may be further substituted).

Any type of free radical polymerization may be used including but not limited to bulk, solution, suspension, and emulsion as well as any of the controlled radical polymerization methods such as stable free radical polymerization, nitroxide-mediated living polymerization, atom transfer radical polymerization, reversible addition fragmentation chain transfer polymerization, organotellurium mediated living radical polymerization, and the like.

A “monomer” is a mono-functional molecule which can undergo chain growth polymerization, and in particular, free radical polymerization, thereby creating a repeating unit in the chemical structure of the target macromolecule. Some monomers have di-functional impurities that can act as cross-linking agents. A “hydrophilic monomer” is also a monomer which yields a clear single phase solution when mixed with deionized water at 25° C. at a concentration of 5 weight percent. A “hydrophilic component” is a monomer, macromer, prepolymer, initiator, cross-linker, additive, or polymer which yields a clear single phase solution when mixed with deionized water at 25° C. at a concentration of 5 weight percent. A “hydrophobic component” is a monomer, macromer, prepolymer, initiator, cross-linker, additive, or polymer which is slightly soluble or insoluble in deionized water at 25° C.

A “macromolecule” is an organic compound having a number average molecular weight of greater than 1500, and may be reactive or non-reactive.

A “macromonomer” or “macromer” is a macromolecule that has one group that can undergo chain growth polymerization, and in particular, free radical polymerization, thereby creating a repeating unit in the chemical structure of the target macromolecule. Typically, the chemical structure of the macromer is different than the chemical structure of the target macromolecule, that is, the repeating unit of the macromers pendent group is different than the repeating unit of the target macromolecule or its mainchain. The difference between a monomer and a macromer is merely one of chemical structure, molecular weight, and molecular weight distribution of the pendent group. As a result, and as used herein, the patent literature occasionally defines monomers as polymerizable compounds having relatively low molecular weights of about 1,500 Daltons or less, which inherently includes some macromers. In particular, monomethacryloxypropyl terminated mono-n-butyl terminated polydimethylsiloxane (molecular weight=500-1500 g/mol) (mPDMS) and mono-(2-hydroxy-3-methacryloxypropyl)-propyl ether terminated mono-n-butyl terminated polydimethylsiloxane (molecular weight=500-1500 g/mol) (OH-mPDMS) may be referred to as monomers or macromers. Furthermore, the patent literature occasionally defines macromers as having one or more polymerizable groups, essentially broadening the common definition of macromer to include prepolymers. As a result, and as used herein, di-functional and multi-functional macromers, prepolymers, and crosslinkers may be used interchangeably.

A “silicone-containing component” is a monomer, macromer, prepolymer, cross-linker, initiator, additive, or polymer in the reactive mixture with at least one silicon-oxygen bond, typically in the form of siloxy groups, siloxane groups, carbosiloxane groups, and mixtures thereof.

Examples of silicone-containing components which are useful in this invention may be found in U.S. Pat. Nos. 3,808,178, 4,120,570, 4,136,250, 4,153,641, 4,740,533, 5,034,461, 5,070,215, 5,244,981, 5,314,960, 5,331,067, 5,371,147, 5,760,100, 5,849,811, 5,962,548, 5,965,631, 5,998,498, 6,367,929, 6,822,016, 6,943,203, 6,951,894, 7,052,131, 7,247,692, 7,396,890, 7,461,937, 7,468,398, 7,538,146, 7,553,880, 7,572,841, 7,666,921, 7,691,916, 7,786,185, 7,825,170, 7,915,323, 7,994,356, 8,022,158, 8,163,206, 8,273,802, 8,399,538, 8,415,404, 8,420,711, 8,450,387, 8,487,058, 8,568,626, 8,937,110, 8,937,111, 8,940,812, 8,980,972, 9,056,878, 9,125,808, 9,140,825, 9,156,934, 9,170,349, 9,217,813, 9,244,196, 9,244,197, 9,260,544, 9,297,928, 9,297,929, and European Patent No. 080539. These patents are hereby incorporated by reference in their entireties.

A “polymer” is a target macromolecule composed of the repeating units of the monomers used during polymerization. Exemplary polymers may comprise poly(ethylene glycol) (PEG), polycarbonate, poly(vinyl alcohol) (PVA), polyvinylpyrrolidone (PVP), polystyrene (PS), polycaprolactone (PCL), ethylene oligomers or polyethylene (PE), polypropylene (PP), poly(methyl methacrylate), and other polymers known in the art.

As used herein, the term “thermoplastic” refers to a property of polymers, wherein the polymer may be melted, solidified, and then successfully melted and solidified again. This process may be repeated several times for thermoplastic polymers without loss of functionality.

As used herein, the term “thermoset” refers to a property of polymers, wherein a thermoset polymer forms well-defined, irreversible, chemical networks that tend to grow in three dimensional directions through the process of curing, which can either occur due to heating or through the addition of a curing agent, therefore causing a crosslinking formation between its chemical components, and giving the thermoset a strong and rigid structure that can be added to other materials to increase strength. Once a thermoset polymer has formed networks during curing, the polymer cannot be re-cured to set in a different manner.

A “homopolymer” is a polymer made from one monomer, a “copolymer” is a polymer made from two or more monomers, a “terpolymer” is a polymer made from three monomers. A “block copolymer” is composed of compositionally different blocks or segments. Diblock copolymers have two blocks. Triblock copolymers have three blocks “Comb or graft copolymers” are made from at least one macromer.

A “repeating unit” is the smallest group of atoms in a polymer that corresponds to the polymerization of a specific monomer or macromer.

An “initiator” is a molecule that can decompose into radicals which can subsequently react with a monomer to initiate a free radical polymerization reaction. A thermal initiator decomposes at a certain rate depending on the temperature; typical examples are azo compounds such as 1,1′-azobisisobutyronitrile and 4,4′-azobis(4-cyanovaleric acid), peroxides such as benzoyl peroxide, tert-butyl peroxide, tert-butyl hydroperoxide, tert-butyl peroxybenzoate, dicumyl peroxide, and lauroyl peroxide, peracids such as peracetic acid and potassium persulfate as well as various redox systems. A photo-initiator decomposes by a photochemical process; typical examples are derivatives of benzil, benzoin, acetophenone, benzophenone, camphorquinone, and mixtures thereof as well as various monoacyl and bisacyl phosphine oxides and combinations thereof.

A “cross-linking agent” is a di-functional or multi-functional monomer or macromer which can undergo free radical polymerization at two or more locations on the molecule, thereby creating branch points and a polymeric network. Common examples are bis(2-methacryloyl)oxyethyl disulfide (DSDMA), cetyltrimethylammonium bromide (CTAB), cetyltrimethylammonium chloride (CTAC), ethylene glycol dimethacrylate, tetraethylene glycol dimethacrylate, trimethylolpropane trimethacrylate, methylene bisacrylamide, triallyl cyanurate, and the like.

A “prepolymer” is a reaction product of monomers which contains remaining polymerizable groups capable of undergoing further reaction to form a polymer.

A “polymeric network” is a cross-linked macromolecule that can swell but cannot dissolve in solvents. “Hydrogels” are polymeric networks that swell in water or aqueous solutions, typically absorbing at least 10 weight percent water. “Silicone hydrogels” are hydrogels that are made from at least one silicone-containing component with at least one hydrophilic component. Hydrophilic components may also include non-reactive polymers.

“Conventional hydrogels” refer to polymeric networks made from components without any siloxy, siloxane or carbosiloxane groups. Conventional hydrogels are prepared from reactive mixtures comprising hydrophilic monomers. Examples include 2-hydroxyethyl methacrylate (“HEMA”), N-vinyl pyrrolidone (“NVP”), N, N-dimethylacrylamide (“DMA”) or vinyl acetate. U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,436,887, 4,495,313, 4,889,664, 5,006,622, 5,039,459, 5,236,969, 5,270,418, 5,298,533, 5,824,719, 6,420,453, 6,423,761, 6,767,979, 7,934,830, 8,138,290, and 8,389,597 disclose the formation of conventional hydrogels. Commercially available conventional hydrogels include, but are not limited to, etafilcon, genfilcon, hilafilcon, lenefilcon, nesofilcon, omafilcon, polymacon, and vifilcon, including all of their variants.

“Silicone hydrogels” refer to polymeric networks made from at least one hydrophilic component and at least one silicone-containing component Examples of silicone hydrogels include acquafilcon, asmofilcon, balafilcon, comfilcon, delefilcon, enfilcon, falcon, fantilcon, formotilcon, galyfilcon, lotrafilcon, naratilcon, riofilcon, samfilcon, senofilcon, somofilcon, and stenfilcon, including all of their variants, as well as silicone hydrogels as prepared in U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,659,782, 4,659,783, 5,244,981, 5,314,960, 5,331,067, 5,371,147, 5,998,498, 6,087,415, 5,760,100, 5,776,999, 5,789,461, 5,849,811, 5,965,631, 6,367,929, 6,822,016, 6,867,245, 6,943,203, 7,247,692, 7,249,848, 7,553,880, 7,666,921, 7,786,185, 7,956,131, 8,022,158, 8,273,802, 8,399,538, 8,470,906, 8,450,387, 8,487,058, 8,507,577, 8.637,621, 8,703.891, 8,937,110, 8,937,111, 8,940,812, 9,056,878, 9,057,821, 9,125,808, 9,140,825, 9,156,934, 9,170,349, 9,244,196, 9,244,197, 9,260,544, 9,297,928, 9,297,929 as well as WO 03/22321, WO 2008/061992, and US 2010/0048847. These patents are hereby incorporated by reference in their entireties.

As used herein, “gel-like” refers to a substance having properties generally relating to those associated with a gel. A “gel” may refer to a coherent mass consisting of a liquid in which particles are either dispersed or arranged in a fine network throughout the mass A gel may be notably elastic or substantially solid and rigid (e.g. silica gel appears as a firm particle) Gels may also be seen as colloids in which the liquid medium has become viscous enough to behave more or less as a solid.

An “interpenetrating polymeric network” comprises two or more networks which are at least partially interlaced on the molecular scale but not covalently bonded to each other and which cannot be separated without braking chemical bonds. A “semi-interpenetrating polymeric network” comprises one or more networks and one or more polymers characterized by some mixing on the molecular level between at least one network and at least one polymer. A mixture of different polymers is a “polymer blend.” A semi-interpenetrating network is technically a polymer blend, but in some cases, the polymers are so entangled that they cannot be readily removed.

The terms “reactive mixture” and “reactive monomer mixture” refer to the mixture of components (both reactive and non-reactive) which are mixed together and when subjected to polymerization conditions form the conventional or silicone hydrogels of the present invention as well as contact lenses made therefrom. The reactive monomer mixture may comprise reactive components such as the monomers, macromers, prepolymers, cross-linkers, and initiators, additives such as wetting agents, release agents, polymers, dyes, light absorbing compounds such as UV absorbers, pigments, dyes and photochromic compounds, any of which may be reactive or non-reactive but are capable of being retained within the resulting biomedical device, as well as pharmaceutical and nutraceutical compounds, and any diluents. It will be appreciated that a wide range of additives may be added based upon the biomedical device which is made and its intended use. Concentrations of components of the reactive mixture are expressed as weight percentages of all components in the reactive mixture, excluding diluent. When diluents are used, their concentrations are expressed as weight percentages based upon the amount of all components in the reactive mixture and the diluent.

“Reactive components” are the components in the reactive mixture which become part of the chemical structure of the polymeric network of the resulting hydrogel by covalent bonding, hydrogen bonding, electrostatic interactions, the formation of interpenetrating polymeric networks, or any other means.

The term “silicone hydrogel contact lens” refers to a hydrogel contact lens comprising at least one silicone containing component. Silicone hydrogel contact lenses generally have increased oxygen permeability compared to conventional hydrogels. Silicone hydrogel contact lenses use both their water and polymer content to transmit oxygen to the eye.

The term “multi-functional” refers to a component having two or more polymerizable groups. The term “mono-functional” refers to a component having one polymerizable group.

The terms “halogen” or “halo” indicate fluorine, chlorine, bromine, and iodine.

As used herein, the term “alkyl” refers to an unsubstituted or substituted linear or branched alkyl group containing the indicated number of carbon atoms. If no number is indicated, then alkyl (optionally including any substituents on alkyl) may contain 1 to 16 carbon atoms. Preferably, the alkyl group contains 1 to 10 carbon atoms, alternatively 1 to 7 carbon atoms, or alternatively 1 to 4 carbon atoms. Examples of alkyl include methyl, ethyl, propyl, isopropyl, butyl, iso-, sec- and tert-butyl, pentyl, hexyl, heptyl, 3-ethylbutyl, and the like. Examples of substituents on alkyl include 1, 2, or 3 groups independently selected from hydroxy, amino, amido, oxa, carboxy, alkyl carboxy, carbonyl, alkoxy, amido, carbamate, carbonate, halogen, phenyl, benzyl, thiol, and combinations thereof. “Alkylene” means a divalent alkyl group, such as —CH₂—, —CH₂CH—, —CH₂CH₂CH—, —CH₂CH(CH₃)CH₂—, and —CH₂CH₂CH₂CH₂—.

“Haloalkyl” refers to an alkyl group as defined above substituted with one or more halogen atoms, where each halogen is independently F, Cl, Br or I. A preferred halogen is F. Preferred haloalkyl groups contain 1-6 carbons, more preferably 1-4 carbons, and still more preferably 1-2 carbons. “Haloalkyl” includes perhaloalkyl groups, such as —CF₃— or —CF₂CF₃. “Haloalkylene” means a divalent haloalkyl group, such as —CH₂CF₂—.

“Cycloalkyl” refers to an unsubstituted or substituted cyclic hydrocarbon containing the indicated number of ring carbon atoms. If no number is indicated, then cycloalkyl may contain 3 to 12 ring carbon atoms. Preferred are C₃-C₈cycloalkyl groups, C₃-C₇cycloalkyl, more preferably C₄-C₇cycloalkyl, and still more preferably C₅-C₆ cycloalkyl. Examples of cycloalkyl include cyclopropyl, cyclobutyl, cyclopentyl, cyclohexyl, cycloheptyl and cyclooctyl Examples of substituents on cycloalkyl include 1, 2, or 3 groups independently selected from alkyl, hydroxy, amino, amido, oxa, carbonyl, alkoxy, amido, carbamate, carbonate, halo, phenyl, benzyl, and combinations thereof. “Cycloalkylene” means a divalent cycloalkyl group, such as 1,2-cyclohexylene, 1,3-cyclohexylene, or 1,4-cyclohexylene.

“Heterocycloalkyl” refers to a cycloalkyl ring or ring system as defined above in which at least one ring carbon has been replaced with a heteroatom selected from nitrogen, oxygen, and sulfur. The heterocycloalkyl ring is optionally fused to or otherwise attached to other heterocycloalkyl rings and/or non-aromatic hydrocarbon rings and/or phenyl rings. Preferred heterocycloalkyl groups have from 5 to 7 members. More preferred heterocycloalkyl groups have 5 or 6 members. Heterocycloalkylene means a divalent heterocycloalkyl group.

“Aryl” refers to an unsubstituted or substituted aromatic hydrocarbon ring system containing at least one aromatic ring. The aryl group contains the indicated number of ring carbon atoms. If no number is indicated, then aryl may contain 6 to 14 ring carbon atoms. The aromatic ring may optionally be fused or otherwise attached to other aromatic hydrocarbon rings or non-aromatic hydrocarbon rings. Examples of aryl groups include phenyl, naphthyl, and biphenyl. Preferred examples of aryl groups include phenyl. Examples of substituents on aryl include 1, 2, or 3 groups independently selected from alkyl, hydroxy, amino, amido, oxa, carboxy, alkyl carboxy, carbonyl, alkoxy, amido, carbamate, carbonate, halo, phenyl, benzyl, and combinations thereof “Arylene” means a divalent aryl group, for example 1,2-phenylene, 1,3-phenylene, or 1,4-phenylene.

“Heteroaryl” refers to an aryl ring or ring system, as defined above, in which at least one ring carbon atom has been replaced with a heteroatom selected from nitrogen, oxygen, and sulfur. The heteroaryl ring may be fused or otherwise attached to one or more heteroaryl rings, aromatic or nonaromatic hydrocarbon rings or heterocycloalkyl rings. Examples of heteroaryl groups include pyridyl, furyl, and thienyl. “Heteroarylene” means a divalent heteroaryl group.

“Alkoxy” refers to an alkyl group attached to the parent molecular moiety through an oxygen bridge. Examples of alkoxy groups include, for instance, methoxy, ethoxy, propoxy and isopropoxy. “Aryloxy” refers to an aryl group attached to a parent molecular moiety through an oxygen bridge. Examples include phenoxy “Cyclic alkoxy” means a cycloalkyl group attached to the parent moiety through an oxygen bridge.

“Alkylamine” refers to an alkyl group attached to the parent molecular moiety through an —NH bridge. Alkyleneamine means a divalent alkylamine group, such as —CH₂CH₂NH—.

“Ester” refers to a class of organic compounds having the general formula RCOOR′, wherein R and R′ are any organic combining groups. R and R′ may be selected from functional groups comprising alkyls, substituted alkyls, alkylene, haloalkyls, cycloalkyls, heterocyloalkyls, aryls, heteroaryls, alkoxys, cycloalkoxys, alkylamines, siloxanyls, silyls, alkyleneoxys, oxaalkylenes, and the like. Definitions for the above mentioned functional groups are provided herein.

As used herein, “esterification” refers to a reaction producing an ester. The reaction often involves an alcohol and a Bronsted acid (such as a carboxylic acid, sulfuric acid, or phosphoric acid). Furthermore, the term “transesterification” refers to the reaction of an alcohol molecule and a pre-existing ester molecule react to form a new ester. In some aspects, transesterification can be mediated by other compounds, such as carbonyldiimidazole.

“Siloxanyl” refers to a structure having at least one Si—O—Si bond. Thus, for example, siloxanyl group means a group having at least one Si—Si group (i.e., a siloxane group), and siloxanyl compound means a compound having at least one Si—O—Si group. “Siloxanyl” encompasses monomeric (e.g., Si—O—Si) as well as oligomeric/polymeric structures (e.g., —[Si—O]_(n)—, where n is 2 or more). Each silicon atom in the siloxanyl group is substituted with independently selected R^(A) groups (where R^(A) as defined in formula A options (b)-(i)) to complete their valence.

“Silyl” refers to a structure of formula R₃Si— and “siloxy” refers to a structure of formula R₃Si—O—, where each R in silyl or siloxy is independently selected from trimethylsiloxy, C₁-C₈ alkyl (preferably C₁-C₃ alkyl, more preferably ethyl or methyl), and C₃-C₈ cycloalkyl.

“Alkyleneoxy” refers to groups of the general formula -(alkylene-O)_(p)— or —(O-alkylene)_(p)-, wherein alkylene is as defined above, and p is from 1 to 200, or from 1 to 100, or from 1 to 50, or from 1 to 25, or from 1 to 20, or from 1 to 10, wherein each alkylene is independently optionally substituted with one or more groups independently selected from hydroxyl, halo (e.g., fluoro), amino, amido, ether, carbonyl, carboxyl, and combinations thereof. If p is greater than 1, then each alkylene may be the same or different and the alkyleneoxy may be in block or random configuration. When alkyleneoxy forms a terminal group in a molecule, the terminal end of the alkyleneoxy may, for instance, be a hydroxy or alkoxy (e.g., HO—[CH₂CH₂O]_(p)— or CH₃O—[CH₂CH₂O]_(p)—). Examples of alkyleneoxy include polymethyleneoxy, polyethyleneoxy, polypropyleneoxy, polybutyleneoxy, and poly(ethyleneoxy-co-propyleneoxy).

“Oxaalkylene” refers to an alkylene group as defined above where one or more non-adjacent CH₂ groups have been substituted with an oxygen atom, such as —CH₂CH₂OCH(CH)CH₂—. “Thiaalkylene” refers to an alkylene group as defined above where one or more non-adjacent CH₂ groups have been substituted with a sulfur atom, such as —CH₂CH₂SCH(CH₃)CH₂—.

The term “linking group” refers to a moiety that links the polymerizable group to the parent molecule. The linking group may be any moiety that does not undesirably interfere with the polymerization of the compound of which it is a part. For instance, the linking group may be a bond, or it may comprise one or more alkylene, haloalkylene, amide, amine, alkyleneamine, carbamate, carboxylate (—CO₂—), disulfide, arylene, heteroarylene, cycloalkylene, heterocycloalkylene, alkyleneoxy, oxaalkylene, thiaalkylene, haloalkyleneoxy (alkyleneoxy substituted with one or more halo groups, e.g., —OCF₂—, —OCF₂CF₂—, —OCF₂CH₂—), siloxanyl, alkylenesiloxanyl, thiol, or combinations thereof. The linking group may optionally be substituted with 1 or more substituent groups. Suitable substituent groups may include those independently selected from alkyl, halo (e.g., fluoro), hydroxyl, HO-alkyleneoxy, CH₃O-alkyleneoxy, siloxanyl, siloxy, siloxy-alkyleneoxy-, siloxy-alkylene-alkyleneoxy-(where more than one alkyleneoxy groups may be present and wherein each methylene in alkylene and alkyleneoxy is independently optionally substituted with hydroxyl), ether, amine, carbonyl, carbamate, and combinations thereof. The linking group may also be substituted with a polymerizable group, such as (meth)acrylate (in addition to the polymerizable group to which the linking group is linked).

Preferred linking groups include C₁-C₈ alkylene (preferably C₂-C₆ alkylene) and C₁-C₈ oxaalkylene (preferably C₂-C₆ oxaalkylene), each of which is optionally substituted with 1 or 2 groups independently selected from hydroxyl and siloxy. Preferred linking groups also include carboxylate, amide, C₁-C₈ alkylene-carboxylate-C₁-C₈ alkylene, or C₁-C₈ alkylene-amide-C₁-C₈ alkylene.

When the linking group is comprised of combinations of moieties as described above (e.g., alkylene and cycloalkylene), the moieties may be present in any order. For instance, if in Formula E below, L is indicated as being -alkylene-cycloalkylene-, then Rg-L may be either Rg-alkylene-cycloalkylene-, or Rg-cycloalkylene-alkylene-. Notwithstanding this, the listing order represents the preferred order in which the moieties appear in the compound starting from the terminal polymerizable group (Rg) to which the linking group is attached. For example, if in Formula E, L and L² are indicated as both being alkylene-cycloalkylene, then Rg-L is preferably Rg-alkylene-cycloalkylene- and -L²-Rg is preferably -cycloalkylene-alkylene-Rg.

As used herein, “oxidation” refers to a chemical process by which an atom of an element gains bonds to more electronegative elements, most commonly oxygen. In this process, the oxidized element increases its oxidation state, which represents the charge of an atom. Oxidation reactions are commonly coupled with “reduction” reactions, wherein the oxidation state of the reduced atom decreases.

As used herein, “anchoring” or “anchoring mechanism” refers to the process by which nanoparticles may become embedded in a colloidal or polymeric matrix. “Anchoring” may occur either chemically via crosslinking of a nanoparticle to members of an exemplary matrix or physically via entanglement of a molecule joined to the surface of a nanoparticle with members of an exemplary matrix.

As used herein, the “visible spectrum” refers to a range of wavelengths within the electromagnetic spectrum, wherein the range spans about 380 nm to 700 nm. The visible spectrum may be broken up into different wavelength regions corresponding to colors including red, orange, yellow, green, blue, indigo, and violet. Certain ranges of wavelengths falling in the visible spectrum have been known to cause damage to human eyes.

As used herein, the “ultraviolet (UV) spectrum” refers to a range of wavelengths within the electromagnetic spectrum, wherein the range spans about 10 nm to 400 nm.

As used herein, “ultraviolet (UV) irradiation” refers to exposure to electromagnetic waves falling in the ultraviolet spectrum of wavelengths, wherein UV irradiation uses selected times and intensity of exposure to achieve its effects, such as curing. UV irradiation can result in chemical (photo-crosslinking, photo-oxidation, or photochemical reactions) or physical (surface morphology, etc.) changes. Photochemical reactions caused by UV irradiation can be surface-limited or can take place deep inside the bulk (unlike plasma) of a material. Some exemplary sources of UV irradiation may comprise continuous wave (CW) UV-lamps with a moderate light and pulsed lasers.

Light filtering comprises light absorption or other blocking, scattering, or extinguishing. As used herein, “light absorption” is defined as the phenomenon wherein electrons absorb the energy of incoming light waves (i.e. photons) and change their energy state. In order for this to occur, the incoming light waves must be at or near the energy levels of the electrons. The resultant absorption patterns characteristic to a given material may be displayed using an “absorption spectrum”, wherein an “absorption spectrum” shows the change in absorbance of a sample as a function of the wavelength of incident light and may be measured using a spectrophotometer. Unique to an “absorption spectrum” is an “absorption peak”, wherein the frequency or wavelength of a given sample exhibits the maximum or the highest spectral value of light absorption. With regards to light absorption of wavelengths of light corresponding to the visible spectrum, a material or matter absorbing light waves of certain wavelengths of the visible spectrum may cause an observer to not see these wavelengths in the reflected light.

As used herein, “Full Width at Half Maximum (FWHM)” refers to a parameter commonly used to describe the width of a portion of a curve or function and may be used in relation to absorbance spectra. It is given by the distance between points on the independent axis of a curve at which the function reaches half its maximum value on the dependent axis.

“Light filtering” may include absorbing, scattering, and/or extinguishing incident light. Light filtering may include the terms “light-blocking material”, Light blocking may refer to a material with the ability to absorb, scatter, and/or extinguish incident light within a given region of the electromagnetic spectrum Thus, the term “light-blocking material” or “lighting filtering material” encompasses particles that absorb, scatter, and/or extinguish incident light within a given region of the electromagnetic spectrum. The particles can be incorporated in varying quantities within an optically transparent substrate to achieve an optically transparent material which exhibits a desired level of light blocking at one or more wavelengths or a range of wavelengths within the electromagnetic spectrum. The percent blocking at a particular wavelength can be determined from the material's transmission spectrum, where blocking=100−percent transmission (% T).

As used herein, the term “light-blocking profile” or “light-blocking spectrum” refers to the absorption, scattering, and/or extinguishing spectrum of a light-blocking material.

The terms “red-light blocking” or “red-light absorbing” or “red-light filtering” refer to the ability of certain particles to absorb, scatter, and/or extinguish incident light within the red region of the visible spectrum (e.g., between 620 and 750 nm or between about 600 nm up to about 850 nm). Thus, the terms “red-light blocking” or “red-light absorbing” encompass particles that absorb, scatter, and/or extinguish incident light within the red region of the visible spectrum. The particles can be incorporated in varying quantities within an optically transparent substrate to achieve an optically transparent material which exhibits a desired level of red-light blocking at one or more wavelengths or a range of wavelengths within a spectral region.

“Nanoparticle (NP)” as used herein refers to a particle having at least one dimension that is less than 100 nm. In some cases, nanoparticles can have at least one dimension less than 50 nm. NP's may have a variety of shapes. In some instances, NP's may have a cubic shape, spherical shape, rod shape, bipyramidal shape, an octahedral shape, a decahedral shape, a cuboctahedral shape, a tetrahedral shape, a rhombic dodecahedral shape, a truncated ditetragonal prismatic shape, or a truncated bitetrahedral shape. “Plasmonic nanoparticle” as used herein refers to a metal nanoparticle that has unique optical properties due to local surface plasmon resonance that allow them to interact with light waves. These properties are tunable by changing the shape, size, composition or medium surrounding the nanoparticle's surface. It will be appreciated that the term includes all plasmonic nanoparticles of various shapes that gives rise to a surface plasmon absorption and scattering spectrum.

As used herein, a “shape-directing agent” is a surfactant or reagent used to grow nanoparticles into specific morphologies. By utilizing specific shape-directing agents, specific morphologies may be selected, allowing for the optical properties of the resultant nanoparticles to be tuned. Exemplary shape-directing agents may include, but are not limited to, AgNO₃, CTAB, CTAC, and other such agents known in the art.

As used herein, “anisotropic” describes a material wherein a given property of said material depends on the direction in which it is measured. Moreover, something that is “anisotropic” changes in size or in its physical properties according to the direction in which it is measured. Examples of anisotropic materials may comprise graphite, carbon fiber, nanoparticles, etc.

As used herein, “isotropic” describes a material wherein a given property of said material does not depend on the direction in which it is measured. Moreover, something that is “isotropic” remains constant in size or in its physical properties according to the direction in which it is measured.

As used herein, “surface energy” may refer to the excess energy (i.e., the difference in the energy between a nanoparticle and the same number of atoms in an infinitely extended solid). More broadly, the surface energy of a particle may define its stability given its morphology and directly relates to the thermodynamics of a given nanoparticle.

As used herein, “surface plasmon resonance (SPR)” refers to a phenomenon wherein the conduction electrons in the surface layer of a metal may become excited by photons of incident light with a certain angle of incidence, causing the excited conduction electrons to then propagate parallel to the metal surface in resonant oscillations (Zeng et al., 2017). With a constant light source wavelength and a thin metal surface layer, the certain angle that triggers SPR is dependent on the refractive index of the material near the metal surface. As used herein, “localized surface plasmon resonance (LSPR)” refers to an optical phenomena generated by light when it interacts with conductive nanoparticles that are smaller than the incident wavelength. As in surface plasmon resonance, the electric field of incident light can be deposited to collectively excite electrons of a conduction band, with the result being coherent localized plasmon oscillations with a resonant frequency that strongly depends on the composition, size, geometry, dielectric environment and separation distance of NP's.

As used herein, a “localized surface plasmon resonance (LSPR) peak” refers to the frequency or wavelength of incident light that exhibits the maximum or the highest spectral value of localized surface plasmon resonance. With regards to LSPR peaks, there are frequently two distinct peaks observed, a “longitudinal peak” and a “transverse peak” The former relates to the shape of the nanoparticle utilized, whereas the latter is a result of the innate properties of the material used. Gold, for instance, has an inherent transverse peak around 530 nm, though the longitudinal peak of a gold NP can be tuned by adjusting its morphology.

As used herein, “plasmonic light blocker” refers to a material with the ability to absorb, scatter, and/or extinguish incident light within a given region of the electromagnetic spectrum due to surface plasmonic resonance (SPR) or localized surface plasmonic resonance (LSPR), wherein the wavelength or range of wavelengths blocked correspond to the wavelength of incident light that induces the SPR or LSPR. Thus, the term “plasmonic light blocker” encompasses particles that absorb, scatter, and/or extinguish incident light within a given region of the electromagnetic spectrum due to SPR or LSPR. The particles can be incorporated in varying quantities within an optically transparent substrate to achieve an optically transparent material which exhibits a desired level of light filtering at one or more wavelengths or a range of wavelengths within the electromagnetic spectrum. The percent blocking at a particular wavelength can be determined from the material's transmission spectrum, where blocking=100−percent transmission (% T).

“Tuning” as used herein refers to changing the size, shape, surface chemistry or aggregation state of a nanoparticle in order to optimize the optical and electronic properties of the nanoparticle to a particular application. The plasmonic peak can be tuned to any wavelength by a suitable design of the nanoparticles as discussed in U.S. Pat. No. 9,005,890, herein incorporated in its entirety by reference.

As used herein, “ligand” refers to an ion or neutral molecule that bonds to a central metal atom or ion. Exemplary ligands may comprise PVP, PVA, DSDMA, and other molecules capable of bonding to a central metal atom. Metal atoms may comprise a variety of metals including, but not limited to, noble metals such as gold. Ligands have at least one donor with an electron pair used to form covalent bonds with the metal central atom.

As used herein, an “intermediate ligand” refers to a ligand temporarily conjugated to a metal atom that is further exchanged to allow the conjugation of an alternate ligand.

Unless otherwise indicated, numeric ranges, for instance as in “from 2 to 10,” are inclusive of the numbers defining the range (e.g., 2 and 10).

The term “biocompatible”, as used herein is intended to describe materials that do not elicit a substantial detrimental response in vivo. In certain embodiments, the materials are “biocompatible” if they are not toxic to cells. In certain embodiments, materials are “biocompatible” if their addition to cells in vitro results in less than or equal to 20% cell death, and/or their administration in vivo does not induce inflammation or other such adverse effects.

The term “static concentration”, as used herein, refers to a concentration of the trigger, which may vary from about 1% to about 10%. For example, the static concentration may vary by +/−10%, +/−5%, +/−2%, or +/−1%.

Unless otherwise indicated, ratios, percentages, parts, and the like are by weight.

Unless otherwise indicated, numeric ranges, for instance as in “from 2 to 10,” are inclusive of the numbers defining the range (e.g., 2 and 10)

Devices

The resulting optically transparent materials can be used to form a variety of different articles, including optical lenses (e.g., eyeglass lenses, camera lenses, contact lenses, etc.), ophthalmic devices (e.g., contact lenses, corneal onlays, corneal inlays, intraocular lenses, overlay lenses, etc.), screen covers (e.g., a transparent sheet configured to cover a computer monitor, tablet screen, or cell phone screen), and housings for electronic devices having LED displays. Accordingly, also provided are optical lenses (e.g., eyeglass lenses, camera lenses, contact lenses, etc.), ophthalmic devices (e.g., contact lenses, corneal onlays, corneal inlays, intraocular lenses, overlay lenses, etc.), screen covers (e.g., a transparent sheet configured to cover a computer monitor, tablet screen, or cell phone screen), and housings for electronic devices having LED displays which are formed at whole or in part from the optically transparent materials described herein.

A variety of ophthalmic devices containing the nanoparticles described herein may be prepared, including hard contact lenses, soft contact lenses, corneal onlays, corneal inlays, intraocular lenses, or overlay lenses. Preferably, the ophthalmic device is a soft contact lens, which may be made from conventional or silicone hydrogel formulations.

Ophthalmic devices may be prepared by polymerizing a reactive mixture containing a population of the nanoparticles described herein, one or more monomers suitable for making the desired ophthalmic device, and optional components. In some cases, the reactive mixture may include, in addition to a population of the nanoparticles described above, one or more of hydrophilic components, hydrophobic components, silicone-containing components, wetting agents such as polyamides, crosslinking agents, and further components such as diluents and initiators.

Silicone-Containing Components

Silicone-containing components suitable for use comprise one or more polymerizable compounds, where each compound independently comprises at least one polymerizable group, at least one siloxane group, and one or more linking groups connecting the polymerizable group(s) to the siloxane group(s). The silicone-containing components may, for instance, contain from 1 to 220 siloxane repeat units, such as the groups defined below. The silicone-containing component may also contain at least one fluorine atom.

The silicone-containing component may comprise: one or more polymerizable groups as defined above; one or more optionally repeating siloxane units; and one or more linking groups connecting the polymerizable groups to the siloxane units. The silicone-containing component may comprise: one or more polymerizable groups that are independently a (meth)acrylate, a styryl, a vinyl ether, a (meth)acrylamide, an N-vinyl lactam, an N-vinylamide, an O-vinylcarbamate, an O-vinylcarbonate, a vinyl group, or mixtures of the foregoing, one or more optionally repeating siloxane units; and one or more linking groups connecting the polymerizable groups to the siloxane units.

The silicone-containing component may comprise one or more polymerizable groups that are independently a (meth)acrylate, a (meth)acrylamide, an N-vinyl lactam, an N-vinylamide, a styryl, or mixtures of the foregoing; one or more optionally repeating siloxane units, and one or more linking groups connecting the polymerizable groups to the siloxane units.

The silicone-containing component may comprise: one or more polymerizable groups that are independently a (meth)acrylate, a (meth)acrylamide, or mixtures of the foregoing, one or more optionally repeating siloxane units; and one or more linking groups connecting the polymerizable groups to the siloxane units.

Formula A The silicone-containing component may comprise one or more polymerizable compounds of Formula A:

wherein:

at least one R^(A) is a group of formula R_(g)-L- wherein R_(g) is a polymerizable group and L is a linking group, and the remaining R^(A) are each independently

-   -   (a) R_(g)-L-,     -   (b) C₁-C₁₆ alkyl optionally substituted with one or more         hydroxy, amino, amido, oxa, carboxy, alkyl carboxy, carbonyl,         alkoxy, amido, carbamate, carbonate, halo, phenyl, benzyl, or         combinations thereof,     -   (c) C₃-C₁₂ cycloalkyl optionally substituted with one or more         alkyl, hydroxy, amino, amido, oxa, carbonyl, alkoxy, amido,         carbamate, carbonate, halo, phenyl, benzyl, or combinations         thereof,     -   (d) a C₆-C₁₄ aryl group optionally substituted with one or more         alkyl, hydroxy, amino, amido, oxa, carboxy, alkyl carboxy,         carbonyl, alkoxy, amido, carbamate, carbonate, halo, phenyl,         benzyl, or combinations thereof,     -   (e) halo,     -   (f) alkoxy, cyclic alkoxy, or aryloxy,     -   (g) siloxy,     -   (h) alkyleneoxy-alkyl or alkoxy-alkyleneoxy-alkyl, such as         polyethyleneoxyalkyl, polypropyleneoxyalkyl, or         poly(ethyleneoxy-co-propyleneoxyalkyl), or     -   (i) a monovalent siloxane chain comprising from 1 to 100         siloxane repeat units optionally substituted with alkyl, alkoxy,         hydroxy, amino, oxa, carboxy, alkyl carboxy, alkoxy, amido,         carbamate, halo or combinations thereof, and

n is from 0 to 500 or from 0 to 200, or from 0 to 100, or from 0 to 20, where it is understood that when n is other than 0, n is a distribution having a mode equal to a stated value. When n is 2 or more, the SiO units may carry the same or different R^(A) substituents and if different R^(A) substituents are present, the n groups may be in random or block configuration.

In Formula A, three R^(A) may each comprise a polymerizable group, alternatively two R^(A) may each comprise a polymerizable group, or alternatively one R^(A) may comprise a polymerizable group.

Formula B. The silicone-containing component of formula A may be a mono-functional polymerizable compound of formula B

wherein

Rg is a polymerizable group;

L is a linking group;

j1 and j2 are each independently whole numbers from 0 to 220, provided that the sum of j1 and j2 is from 1 to 220;

R^(A1), R^(A2), R^(A3), R^(A4), R^(A5), and R^(A7) are independently at each occurrence C₁-C₆ alkyl, C₃-C₁₂ cycloalkyl, C₁-C₆ alkoxy, C₄-C₁₂ cyclic alkoxy, alkoxy-alkyleneoxy-alkyl, aryl (e.g., phenyl), aryl-alkyl (e.g., benzyl), haloalkyl (e.g., partially or fully fluorinated alkyl), siloxy, fluoro, or combinations thereof, wherein each alkyl in the foregoing groups is optionally substituted with one or more hydroxy, amino, amido, oxa, carboxy, alkyl carboxy, carbonyl, alkoxy, carbamate, carbonate, halo, phenyl, or benzyl, each cycloalkyl is optionally substituted with one or more alkyl, hydroxy, amino, amido, oxa, carbonyl, alkoxy, carbamate, carbonate, halo, phenyl, or benzyl and each aryl is optionally substituted with one or more alkyl, hydroxy, amino, amido, oxa, carboxy, alkyl carboxy, carbonyl, alkoxy, carbamate, carbonate, halo, phenyl, or benzyl; and

R^(A6) is siloxy, C₁-C₈ alkyl (e.g., C₁-C₄ alkyl, or butyl, or methyl), or aryl (e.g., phenyl), wherein alkyl and aryl may optionally be substituted with one or more fluorine atoms.

-   -   Formula B-1. Compounds of formula B may include compounds of         formula B-1, which are compounds of formula B wherein j1 is zero         and j2 is from 1 to 220, or j2 is from 1 to 100, or j2 is from 1         to 50, or j2 is from 1 to 20, or j2 is from 1 to 5, or j2 is 1.     -   B-2. Compounds of formula B may include compounds of formula         B-2, which are compounds of formula B wherein j1 and j2 are         independently from 4 to 100, or from 4 to 20, or from 4 to 10,         or from 24 to 100, or from 10 to 100     -   B-3. Compounds of formulae B, B-1, and B-2 may include compounds         of formula B-3, which are compounds of formula B, B-1, or B-2         wherein R^(A1), R^(A2), R^(A3), and R^(A4) are independently at         each occurrence C₁-C₆ alkyl or siloxy. Preferred alkyl are C₁-C₃         alkyl, or more preferably, methyl. Preferred siloxy is         trimethylsiloxy.     -   B-4. Compounds of formulae B, B-1, B-2, and B-3 may include         compounds of formula B-4, which are compounds of formula B, B-1,         B-2, or B-3 wherein R^(A5) and R^(A7) are independently         alkoxy-alkyleneoxy-alkyl, preferably they are independently a         methoxy capped polyethyleneoxyalkyl of formula         CH₃O—[CH₂CH₂O]_(p)—CH₂CH₂CH₂, wherein p is a whole number from 1         to 50     -   B-5. Compounds of formulae B, B-1, B-2, and B-3 may include         compounds of formula B-5, which are compounds of formula B, B-1,         B-2, or B-3 wherein R^(A5) and R^(A7) are independently siloxy,         such as trimethylsiloxy.     -   B-6. Compounds of formulae B, B-1, B-2, and B-3 may include         compounds of formula B-6, which are compounds of formula B, B-1,         B-2, or B-3 wherein R^(A5) and R^(A7) are independently C₁-C₆         alkyl, alternatively C₁-C₄ alkyl, or alternatively, butyl or         methyl.     -   B-7. Compounds of formulae B, B-1, B-2, B-3, B-4, B-5, and B-6         may include compounds of formula B-7, which are compounds of         formula B, B-1, B-2, B-3, B-4, B-5, or B-6 wherein R^(A6) is         C₁-C₈ alkyl, preferably C₁-C₆ alkyl, more preferably C₁-C₄ alkyl         (for example methyl, ethyl, n-propyl, or n-butyl). More         preferably R^(A6) is n-butyl.     -   B-8. Compounds of formulae B, B-1, B-2, B-3, B-4, B-5, B-6, and         B-7, may include compounds of formula B-8, which are compounds         of formula B, B-1, B-2, B-3, B-4, B-5, B-6, or B-7 wherein Rg         comprises styryl, vinyl carbonate, vinyl ether, vinyl carbamate,         N-vinyl lactam, N-vinylamide, (meth)acrylate, or         (meth)acrylamide. Preferably, Rg comprises (meth)acrylate,         (meth)acrylamide, or styryl. More preferably, Rg comprises         (meth)acrylate or (meth)acrylamide.

When Rg is (meth)acrylamide, the nitrogen group may be substituted with R^(A9), wherein R^(A9) is H, C₁-C₈ alkyl (preferably C₁-C₄ alkyl, such as n-butyl, n-propyl, methyl or ethyl), or C₃-C₈ cycloalkyl (preferably (C₅-C₆ cycloalkyl), wherein alkyl and cycloalkyl are optionally substituted with one or more groups independently selected from hydroxyl, amide, ether, silyl (e.g., trimethylsilyl), siloxy (e.g., trimethylsiloxy), alkyl-siloxanyl (where alkyl is itself optionally substituted with fluoro), aryl-siloxanyl (where aryl is itself optionally substituted with fluoro), and silyl-oxaalkylene- (where the oxaalkylene is itself optionally substituted with hydroxyl).

-   -   B-9. Compounds of formulae B, B-1, B-2, B-3, B-4, B-5, B-6, B-7,         and B-8 may include compounds of formula B-9, which are         compounds of formula B, B-1, B-2, B-3, B-4, B-5, B-6, B-7, or         B-8 wherein the linking group comprises alkylene (preferably         C₁-C₄ alkylene), cycloalkylene (preferably C₅-C₆ cycloalkylene),         alkyleneoxy (preferably ethyleneoxy), haloalkyleneoxy         (preferably haloethyleneoxy), amide, oxaalkylene (preferably         containing 3 to 6 carbon atoms), siloxanyl, alkylenesiloxanyl,         carbamate, alkyleneamine (preferably C₁-C₆ alkyleneamine), or         combinations of two or more thereof, wherein the linking group         is optionally substituted with one or more substituents         independently selected from alkyl, hydroxyl, ether, amine,         carbonyl, siloxy, and carbamate.     -   B-10. Compounds of formulae B, B-1, B-2, B-3, B-4, B-5, B-6,         B-7, B-8, and B-9 may include compounds of formula B-10, which         are compounds of formula B, B-1, B-2, B-3, B-4, B-5, B-6, B-7,         B-8, or B-9 wherein the linking group is         alkylene-siloxanyl-alkylene-alkyleneoxy-, or         alkylene-siloxanyl-alkylene-[alkyleneoxy-alkylene-siloxanyl]-alkyleneoxy-,         where q is from 1 to 50.     -   B-11. Compounds of formulae B, B-1, B-2, B-3, B-4, B-5, B-6,         B-7, B-8, and B-9 may include compounds of formula B-11, which         are compounds of formula B, B-1, B-2, B-3, B-4, B-5, B-6, B-7,         B-8, or B-9 wherein the linking group is C₁-C₆ alkylene,         preferably C₁-C₃ alkylene, more preferably n-propylene.     -   B-12. Compounds of formulae B, B-1, B-2, B-3, B-4, B-5, B-6,         B-7, B-8, and B-9 may include compounds of formula B-12, which         are compounds of formula B, B-1, B-2, B-3, B-4, B-5, B-6, B-7,         B-8, or B-9 wherein the linking group is         alkylene-carbamate-oxyalkylene. Preferably, the linking group is         CH₂CH₂N(H)—C(═O)—O—CH₂CH₂—)—CH₂CH₂CH₂.     -   B-13. Compounds of formulae B, B-1, B-2, B-3, B-4, B-5, B-6,         B-7, B-8, and B-9 may include compounds of formula B-13, which         are compounds of formula B, B-1, B-2, B-3, B-4, B-5, B-6, B-7,         B-8, or B-9 wherein the linking group is oxaalkylene.         Preferably, the linking group is CH₂CH₂—O—CH₂CH₂CH₂.     -   B-14. Compounds of formulae B, B-1, B-2, B-3, B-4, B-5, B-6,         B-7, B-8, and B-9 may include compounds of formula B-14, which         are compounds of formula B, B-1, B-2, B-3, B-4, B-5, B-6, B-7,         B-8, or B-9 wherein the linking group is         alkylene-[siloxanyl-alkylene]_(q)-, where q is from 1 to 50. An         example of such a linking group is:         —(CH₂)₃—[Si(CH₃)₂—O—Si((CH₃)₂—(CH₂)₂]_(q)—.     -   B-15. Compounds of formulae B, B-1, B-2, B-3, B-4, B-5, B-6,         B-7, B-8, and B-9 may include compounds of formula B-15, which         are compounds of formula B, B-1, B-2, B-3, B-4, B-5, B-6, B-7,         B-8, or B-9 wherein the linking group is         alkyleneoxy-carbamate-alkylene-cycloalkylene-carbamate-oxaalkylene,         wherein cycloalkylene is optionally substituted with or 1, 2, or         3 independently selected alkyl groups (preferably C₁-C₃ alkyl,         more preferably methyl). An example of such a linking group is         —[OCH₂CH₂]_(q)—OC(═O)—NH—CH₂-[1,3-cyclohexylene]-NHC(═O)O—CH₂CH₂—O—CH₂CH₂—,         wherein the cyclohexylene is substituted at the 1 and 5         positions with 3 methyl groups.     -   B-16. Compounds of formulae B, B-1, B-2, B-3, B-4, B-5, B-6,         B-7, B-8, and B-9 may include compounds of formula B-16, which         are compounds of formula B, B-1, B-2, B-3, B-4, B-5, B-6, B-7,         B-8, or B-9 wherein Rg comprises styryl and the linking group is         alkyleneoxy wherein each alkylene in alkyleneoxy is         independently optionally substituted with hydroxyl. An example         of such a linking group is —O—(CH₂)₃—. Another example of such a         linking group is —O—CH₂CH(OH)CH₂—O—(CH₂)₃—.     -   B-17. Compounds of formulae B, B-1, B-2, B-3, B-4, B-5, B-6,         B-7, B-8, and B-9 may include compounds of formula B-17, which         are compounds of formula B, B-1, B-2, B-3, B-4, B-5, B-6, B-7,         B-8, or B-9 wherein Rg comprises styryl and the linking group is         alkyleneamine. An example of such a linking group is         —NH—(CH₂)₃—.     -   B-18. Compounds of formulae B, B-1, B-2, B-3, B-4, B-5, B-6,         B-7, B-8, and B-9 may include compounds of formula B-18, which         are compounds of formula B, B-1, B-2, B-3, B-4, B-5, B-6, B-7,         B-8, or B-9 wherein the linking group is oxaalkylene optionally         substituted with hydroxyl, siloxy, or silyl-alkyleneoxy (where         the alkyleneoxy is itself optionally substituted with hydroxyl).         An example of such a linking group is —(CH₂CH(G)CH₂—O—(CH₂)₃—,         wherein G is hydroxyl. In another example, G is R₃SiO— wherein         two R groups are trimethylsiloxy and the third is C₁-C₈ alkyl         (preferably C₁-C₃ alkyl, more preferably methyl) or the third is         C₃-C₈ cycloalkyl. In a further example, G is         R₃Si—(CH₂)₃—O—CH₂CH(OH)CH₂—O—, wherein two R groups are         trimethylsiloxy and the third is C₁-C₈ alkyl (preferably C₁-C₃         alkyl, more preferably methyl) or C₃-C₈ cycloalkyl. In a still         further example, G is a polymerizable group, such as         (meth)acrylate. Such compounds may function as crosslinkers.     -   B-19. Compounds of formulae B, B-1, B-2, B-3, B-4, B-5, B-6,         B-7, B-8, and B-9 may include compounds of formula B-19, which         are compounds of formula B, B-1, B-2, B-3, B-4, B-5, B-6, B-7,         B-8, or B-9 wherein Rg comprises styryl and the linking group is         amine-oxaalkylene optionally substituted with hydroxyl. An         example of such a linking group is —NH—CH₂CH(OH)CH₂—O—(CH₂)₃—.     -   B-20. Compounds of formulae B, B-1, B-2, B-3, B-4, B-5, B-6,         B-7, B-8, and B-9 may include compounds of formula B-20, which         are compounds of formula B, B-1, B-2, B-3, B-4, B-5, B-6, B-7,         B-8, or B-9 wherein Rg comprises styryl and the linking group is         alkyleneoxy-carbamate-oxaalkylene. An example of such a linking         group is —O—(CH₂)₂—N(H)C(λO)O—(CH₂)₂—O—(CH₂)₃—.     -   B-21. Compounds of formulae B, B-1, B-2, B-3, B-4, B-5, B-6,         B-7, B-8, and B-9 may include compounds of formula B-21, which         are compounds of formula B. B-1, B-2, B-3, B-4, B-5, B-6, B-7,         B-8, or B-9 wherein the linking group is         alkylene-carbamate-oxaalkylene. An example of such a linking         group is —(CH₂)₂—N(H)C(═O)O—(CH₂)₂—O—(—CH₂)₃—.     -   Formula C. Silicone-containing components of formulae A, B, B-1,         B-2, B-3, B-4, B-5, B-6, B-7, B-8, B-9, B-10, B-11, B-12, B-13,         B-14, B-15, B-18, and B-21 may include compounds of formula C,         which are compounds of formula A, B, B-1, B-2, B-3, B-4, B-5,         B-6, B-7, B-8, B-9, B-10, B-11, B-12, B-13, B-14, B-15, B-18, or         B-21 having the structure:

wherein

R^(A8) is hydrogen or methyl;

Z is O, S, or N(R^(A9)) and

L, j1, j2, R^(A1), R^(A2), R^(A3), R^(A4), R^(A5), R^(A6), R^(A7), and R^(A9) are as defined in formula B or its various sub-formulae (e.g., B-1, B-2, etc.).

-   -   C-1. Compounds of formula C may include (meth)acrylates of         formula C-1, which are compounds of formula C wherein Z is O.     -   C-2. Compounds of formula C may include (meth)acrylamides of         formula C-2, which are compounds of formula C wherein Z is         N(R^(A9)), and R^(A9) is H.     -   C-3. Compounds of formulae C may include (meth)acylamides of         formula C-3, which are compounds of formula C wherein Z is         N(R^(A9)), and R^(A9) is C₁-C₈ alkyl that is unsubstituted or is         optionally substituted as indicated above. Examples of R^(A9)         include CH₃, —(CH₂CH(OH)CH₂(OH), —(CH₂)₃-siloxanyl, —CH₂)₃—SiR₃,         and —CH₂CH(OH)CH₂—O—(CH₂)₃—SiR₃ where each R in the foregoing         groups is independently selected from trimethylsiloxy, C₁-C₈         alkyl (preferably C₁-C₃alkyl, more preferably methyl), and C₃-C₈         cycloalkyl. Further examples of R^(A9) include:         —(CH₂)₃—Si(Me)(SiMe₃)₂, and —(CH₂)₃—Si(Me₂)-[O—SiMe₂]₁₋₁₀-CH₃.     -   Formula D. Compounds of formula C may include compounds of         formula D:

wherein

R^(A8) is hydrogen or methyl;

Z¹ is O or N(R^(A9));

L¹ is alkylene containing 1 to 8 carbon atoms, or oxaalkylene containing 3 to 10 carbon atoms, wherein L¹ is optionally substituted with hydroxyl; and

j2, R^(A3), R^(A4), R^(A5), R^(A6), R^(A7), and R^(A9) are as defined above in formula B or its various sub-formulae (e.g., B-1, B-2, etc).

-   -   D-1. Compounds of formula D may include compounds of formula         D-1, which are compounds of formula D wherein L¹ is C₂-C₅         alkylene optionally substituted with hydroxyl. Preferably L¹ is         n-propylene optionally substituted with hydroxyl.     -   D-2. Compounds of formula D may include compounds of formula         D-2, which are compounds of formula D wherein L¹ is oxaalkylene         containing 4 to 8 carbon atoms optionally substituted with         hydroxyl. Preferably L¹ is oxaalkylene containing five or six         carbon atoms optionally substituted with hydroxyl. Examples         include —(CH₂)₂—O—(CH₂)₃—, and —CH₂CH(OH)CH₂—O—(CH₂)₃—.     -   D-3. Compounds of formulae D, D-1, and D-2 may include compounds         of formula D-3, which are compounds of formula D, D-1, or D-2         wherein Z¹ is O.     -   D-4 Compounds of formulae D, D-1, and D-2 may include compounds         of formula D-4, which are compounds of formula D, D-1, or D-2         wherein Z¹ is N(R^(A9)), and R^(A9) is H.     -   D-5. Compounds of formulae D, D-1, and D-2 may include compounds         of formula D-5, which are compounds of formula D, D-1, or D-2         wherein Z¹ is N(R^(A9)), and R^(A9) is C₁-C₄ alkyl optionally         substituted with 1 or 2 substituents selected from hydroxyl,         siloxy, and C₁-C₆ alkyl-siloxanyl-.     -   D-6. Compounds of formulae D, D-1, D-2, D-3, D-4, and D-5 may         include compounds of formula D-6, which are compounds of formula         D, D-1, D-2, D-3, D-4, or D-5 wherein j2 is 1.     -   D-7 Compounds of formulae D, D-1, D-2, D-3, D-4, and D-5 may         include compounds of formula D-7, which are compounds of formula         D, D-1, D-2, D-3, D-4, or D-5 wherein j2 is from 2 to 220, or         from 2 to 100, or from 10 to 100, or from 24 to 100, or from 4         to 20, or from 4 to 10     -   D-8. Compounds of formulae D, D-1, D-2, D-3, D-4, D-5, D-6, and         D-7 may include compounds of formula D-8, which are compounds of         formula D, D-1, D-2, D-3, D-4, D-5, D-6, or D-7 wherein R^(A3),         R^(A4), R^(A5), R^(A6), and R^(A7) are independently C₁-C₆ alkyl         or siloxy. Preferably R^(A3), R^(A4), R^(A5), R^(A6), and R^(A7)         are independently selected from methyl, ethyl, n-propyl,         n-butyl, and trimethylsiloxy. More preferably, R^(A3), R^(A4),         R^(A5), R^(A6), and R^(A7) are independently selected from         methyl, n-butyl, and trimethylsiloxy.     -   D-9 Compounds of formulae I), D-1, D-2, D-3, D-4, D-5, D-6, and         D-7 may include compounds of formula D-9, which are compounds of         formula D, D-1, D-2, D-3, D-4, D-5, D-6, or D-7 wherein R^(A3)         and R^(A4) are independently C₁-C₆ alkyl (e.g., methyl or ethyl)         or siloxy (e.g., trimethylsiloxy), and R^(A5), R^(A6), and         R^(A7) are independently C₁-C₆ alkyl (e.g., methyl, ethyl,         n-propyl, or n-butyl).     -   Formula E. The silicone-containing component may comprise a         multi-functional silicone-containing component Thus, for         example, the silicone-containing component of formula A may         comprise a bifunctional material of formula E:

wherein

Rg, L, j1, j2, R^(A1), R^(A2), R^(A3), R^(A4), R^(A5), and R^(A7) are as defined above for formula B or its various sub-formulae (e.g., B-1, B-2, etc),

L² is a linking group; and

Rg¹ is a polymerizable group.

-   -   E-1. Compounds of formula E may include compounds of formula         E-1, which are compounds of formula E wherein Rg and Rg¹ are         each a vinyl carbonate of structure CH₂═CH—O—C(═O)—O— or         structure CH₂═C(CH₃)—O—C(═O)—O—.     -   E-2. Compounds of formula E may include compounds of formula         E-2, which are compounds of formula E wherein Rg and Rg¹ are         each (meth)acrylate     -   E-3. Compounds of formula E may include compounds of formula         E-3, which are compounds of formula E wherein Rg and Rg¹ are         each (meth)acrylamide, wherein the nitrogen group may be         substituted with R^(A9) (wherein R^(A9) is as defined above).     -   E-4. Suitable compounds of formulae E, E-1, E-2, and E-3 include         compounds of formula E-4, which are compounds of formula E, E-1,         E-2, or E-3 wherein j1 is zero and j2 is from 1 to 220, or j2 is         from 1 to 100, or j2 is from 1 to 50, or j2 is from 1 to 20.     -   E-5. Suitable compounds of formulae E, E-1, E-2, and E-3 include         compounds of formula E-5, which are compounds of formula E, E-1,         E-2, or E-3, wherein j1 and j2 are independently from 4 to 100.     -   E-6. Suitable compounds of formulae E, E-1, E-2, E-3, E-4, and         E-5 include compounds of formula E-6, which are compounds of         formula E, E-1, E-2, E-3, E-4, or E-5 wherein R^(A1), R^(A2),         R^(A3), R^(A4), and R^(A5) are independently at each occurrence         C₁-C₆ alkyl, preferably they are independently C₁-C₃ alkyl, or         preferably, each is methyl.     -   E-7. Suitable compounds of formulae E, E-1, E-2, E-3, E-4, E-5,         and E-6 include compounds of formula E-7, which are compounds of         formula E, E-1, E-2, E-3, E-4, E-5, or E-6 wherein R^(A7) is         alkoxy-alkyleneoxy-alkyl, preferably it is a methoxy capped         polyethyleneoxyalkyl of formula CH₃O—[CH₂CH₂O]_(p)—CH₂—CH₂CH₂,         wherein p is a whole number from 1 to 50, or from 1 to 30, or         from 1 to 10, or from 6 to 10.     -   E-8. Suitable compounds of formulae E, E-1, E-2, E-3, E-4, E-5,         E-6, and E-7 include compounds of formula E-8, which are         compounds of formula E, E-1, E-2, E-3, E-4, E-5, E-6, or E-7         wherein L comprises alkylene, carbamate, siloxanyl,         cycloalkylene, amide, haloalkyleneoxy, oxaalkylene, or         combinations of two or more thereof, wherein the linking group         is optionally substituted with one or more substituents         independently selected from alkyl, hydroxyl, ether, amine,         carbonyl, and carbamate.     -   E-9. Suitable compounds of formulae E, E-1, E-2, E-3, E-4, E-5,         E-6, E-7, and E-8 include compounds of formula E-9, which are         compounds of formula E, E-1, E-2, E-3, E-4, E-5, E-6, E-7, or         E-8 wherein L² comprises alkylene, carbamate, siloxanyl,         cycloalkylene, amide, haloalkyleneoxy, oxaalkylene, or         combinations of two or more thereof, wherein the linking group         is optionally substituted with one or more substituents         independently selected from alkyl, hydroxyl, ether, amine,         carbonyl, and carbamate.

Examples of silicone-containing components suitable for use in the invention include, but are not limited to, compounds listed in the table below. Where the compounds in the table below include polysiloxane groups, the number of Si repeat units in such compounds, unless otherwise indicated, is preferably from 3 to 100, more preferably from 3 to 40, or still more preferably from 3 to 20

-   1 mono-methacryloxypropyl terminated mono-n-butyl terminated     polydimethylsiloxanes (mPDMS) (preferably containing from 3 to 15     SiO repeating units) -   2 mono-acryloxypropyl terminated mono-n-butyl terminated     polydimethylsiloxane -   3 mono(meth)acryloxypropyl terminated mono-n-methyl terminated     polydimethylsiloxane -   4 mono(meth)acryloxypropyl terminated mono-n-butyl terminated     polydiethylsiloxane -   5 mono(meth)acryloxypropyl terminated mono-n-methyl terminated     polydiethylsiloxane -   6 mono(meth)acrylamidoalkylpolydialkylsiloxanes -   7 mono(meth)acryloxyalkyl terminated mono-alkyl polydiarylsiloxanes -   8 3-methacryloxypropyltris(trimethylsiloxy)silane (TRIS) -   9 3-methacryloxypropylbis(trimethylsiloxy)methylsilane -   3-methacryloxypropylpentamethyl disiloxane -   11 mono(meth)acrylamidoalkylpolydialkylsiloxanes -   12 mono(meth)acrylamidoalkyl polydimethylsiloxanes -   13 N-(2,3-dihydroxypropane)-N′-(propyl tetra(dimethylsiloxy)     dimethylbutylsilane)acrylamide -   14 N-[3-tris(trimethylsiloxy)silyl]-propyl acrylamide (TRIS-Am) -   15 2-hydroxy-3-[3-methyl-3,3-di(trimethylsiloxy)silylpropoxy]-propyl     methacrylate (SiMAA) -   16     2-hydroxy-3-methacryloxypropyloxypropyl-tris(trimethylsiloxy)silane     mono-(2-hydroxy-3-methacryloxypropyl)-propyl ether terminated     mono-n-butyl -   17 terminated polydimethylsiloxanes (OH-mPDMS) (containing from 4 to     30, or from 10 to 20, or from 4 to 8 SiO repeat units)

Additional non-limiting examples of suitable silicone-containing components are listed in the table below. Unless otherwise indicated, j2 where applicable is preferably from 1 to 100, more preferably from 3 to 40, or still more preferably from 3 to 15. In compounds containing j1 and j2, the sum of j1 and j2 is preferably from 2 to 100, more preferably from 3 to 40, or still more preferably from 3 to 15.

-   30     1,3-bis[4-(vinyloxycarbonyloxy)but-1-yl][tris(trimethylsiloxy)silyl]tetramethyl-disiloxane -   31 3-(vinyloxycarbonylthio) propyl-(trimethylsiloxy)silane -   32 3-[tris(trimethylsiloxy)silyl] propyl allyl carbamate -   33 3-[tris(trimethylsiloxy)silyl] propyl vinyl carbamate -   34 tris(trimethylsiloxy)silylstyrene (Styryl-TRIS)

Silicone-containing components may have an average molecular weight of from about 400 to about 4000 daltons.

The silicone containing component(s) may be present in amounts up to about 95 weight %, or from about 10 to about 80 weight %, or from about 20 to about 70 weight %, based upon all reactive components of the reactive mixture (excluding diluents).

Polyamides

The reactive monomer mixture may include at least one polyamide. As used herein, the term “polyamide” refers to polymers and copolymers comprising repeating units containing amide groups. The polyamide may comprise cyclic amide groups, acyclic amide groups and combinations thereof and may be any polyamide known to those of skill in the art. Acyclic polyamides comprise pendant acyclic amide groups and are capable of association with hydroxyl groups. Cyclic polyamides comprise cyclic amide groups and are capable of association with hydroxyl groups.

Examples of suitable acyclic polyamides include polymers and copolymers comprising repeating units of Formulae G1 and G2:

wherein X is a direct bond, —(CO)— or —(CONHR₄₄)—, wherein R₄₄ is a C₁ to C₃ alkyl group; R₄₀ is selected from H, straight or branched, substituted or unsubstituted C₁ to C₄ alkyl groups, R₄₁ is selected from H, straight or branched, substituted or unsubstituted C₁ to C₄ alkyl groups, amino groups having up to two carbon atoms, amide groups having up to four carbon atoms, and alkoxy groups having up to two carbon groups; R₄₂ is selected from H, straight or branched, substituted or unsubstituted C₁ to C₄ alkyl groups, or methyl, ethoxy, hydroxyethyl, and hydroxymethyl; R₄₃ is selected from H, straight or branched, substituted or unsubstituted C₁ to C₄ alkyl groups; or methyl, ethoxy, hydroxyethyl, and hydroxymethyl; wherein the number of carbon atoms in R₄₀ and R₄₁ taken together is 8 or less, including 7, 6, 5, 4, 3, or less; and wherein the number of carbon atoms in R₄₂ and R₄₃ taken together is 8 or less, including 7, 6, 5, 4, 3, or less. The number of carbon atoms in R₄₀ and R₄₁ taken together may be 6 or less or 4 or less. The number of carbon atoms in R₄₂ and R₄₃ taken together may be 6 or less. As used herein substituted alkyl groups include alkyl groups substituted with an amine, amide, ether, hydroxyl, carbonyl or carboxy groups or combinations thereof.

R₄₀ and R₄₁ may be independently selected from H, substituted or unsubstituted C₁ to C₂ alkyl groups. X may be a direct bond, and R₄₀ and R₄₁ may be independently selected from H, substituted or unsubstituted C₁ to C₂ alkyl groups. R₄₂ and R₄₃ can be independently selected from H, substituted or unsubstituted C₁ to C₂ alkyl groups, methyl, ethoxy, hydroxyethyl, and hydroxymethyl.

The acyclic polyamides of the present invention may comprise a majority of the repeating units of Formula LV or Formula LVI, or the acyclic polyamides can comprise at least 50 mole percent of the repeating unit of Formula G or Formula G1, including at least 70 mole percent, and at least 80 mole percent. Specific examples of repeating units of Formula G and Formula G1 include repeating units derived from N-vinyl-N-methylacetamide, N-vinylacetamide, N-vinyl-N-methylpropionamide, N-vinyl-N-methyl-2-methylpropionamide, N-vinyl-2-methyl-propionamide, N-vinyl-N,N′-dimethylurea, N, N-dimethylacrylamide, methacrylamide, and acyclic amides of Formulae G2 and G3:

Examples of suitable cyclic amides that can be used to form the cyclic polyamides of include α-lactam, β-lactam, γ-lactam, δ-lactam, and ε-lactam Examples of suitable cyclic polyamides include polymers and copolymers comprising repeating units of Formula G4:

wherein R₄₅ is a hydrogen atom or methyl group, wherein f is a number from 1 to 10; wherein X is a direct bond, —(CO)—, or —(CONHR₄₆)—, wherein R₄₆ is a C₁ to C₃ alkyl group. In Formula LIX, f may be 8 or less, including 7, 6, 5, 4, 3, 2, or 1. In Formula G4, f may be 6 or less, including 5, 4, 3, 2, or 1. In Formula G4, f may be from 2 to 8, including 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, or 8. In Formula LIX, f may be 2 or 3. When X is a direct bond, f may be 2. In such instances, the cyclic polyamide may be polyvinylpyrrolidone (PVP).

Cyclic polyamides may comprise 50 mole percent or more of the repeating unit of Formula G4, or the cyclic polyamides can comprise at least 50 mole percent of the repeating unit of Formula G4, including at least 70 mole percent, and at least 80 mole percent.

The polyamides may also be copolymers comprising repeating units of both cyclic and acyclic amides. Additional repeating units may be formed from monomers selected from hydroxyalkyl(meth)acrylates, alkyl(meth)acrylates, other hydrophilic monomers and siloxane substituted (meth)acrylates. Any of the monomers listed as suitable hydrophilic monomers may be used as comonomers to form the additional repeating units. Specific examples of additional monomers which may be used to form polyamides include 2-hydroxyethyl (meth)acrylate, vinyl acetate, acrylonitrile, hydroxypropyl (meth)acrylate, methyl (meth)acrylate and hydroxybutyl (meth)acrylate, dihydroxypropyl (meth)acrylate, polyethylene glycol mono(meth)acrylate, and the like and mixtures thereof. Ionic monomers may also be included. Examples of ionic monomers include (meth)acrylic acid, N-[(ethenyloxy)carbonyl]-β-alanine (VINAL, CAS #148969-96-4), 3-acrylamidopropanoic acid (ACA1), 5-acrylamidopentanoic acid (ACA2), 3-acrylamido-3-methylbutanoic acid (AMBA), 2-(methacryloyloxy)ethyl trimethylammonium chloride (Q Salt or METAC), 2-acrylamido-2-methylpropane sulfonic acid (AMPS), 1-propanaminium, N(2-carboxyethyl)-N,N-dimethyl-3-[(1-oxo-2-propen-1-yl)amino]-, inner salt (CBT), 1-propanaminium, N,N-dimethyl-N-[3-[(1-oxo-2-propen-1-yl)amino]propyl]-3-sulfo-, inner salt (SBT), 3,5-Dioxa-8-aza-4-phosphaundec-10-en-1-aminium, 4-hydroxy-N,N,N-trimethyl-9-oxo-, inner salt, 4-oxide (9CI) (PBT), 2-methacryloyloxyethyl phosphorylcholine, 3-(dimethyl(4-vinylbenzyl)ammonio)propane-1-sulfonate (DMVBAPS), 3-((3-acrylamidopropyl)dimethylammonio)propane-1-sulfonate (AMPDAPS), 3-((3-methacrylamidopropyl)dimethylammonio)propane-1-sulfonate (MAMPDAPS), 3-((3-(acryloyloxy)propyl)dimethylammonio)propane-1-sulfonate (APDAPS), 3-((3-(methacryloyloxy)propyl)dimethylammonio)propane-1-sulfonate (MAPDAPS).

The reactive monomer mixture may comprise both an acyclic polyamide and a cyclic polyamide or copolymers thereof. The acyclic polyamide can be any of those acyclic polyamides described herein or copolymers thereof, and the cyclic polyamide can be any of those cyclic polyamides described herein or copolymers thereof. The polyamide may be selected from the group polyvinylpyrrolidone (PVP), polyvinylmethylacetamide (PVMA), polydimethylacrylamide (PDMA), polyvinylacetamide (PNVA), poly hydroxyethyl (meth)acrylamide, polyacrylamide, and copolymers and mixtures thereof.

The total amount of all polyamides in the reactive mixture may be in the range of between 1 weight percent and about 35 weight percent, including in the range of about 1 weight percent to about 15 weight percent, and in the range of about 5 weight percent to about 15 weight percent, in all cases, based on the total weight of the reactive components of the reactive monomer mixture.

Without intending to be bound by theory, when used with a silicone hydrogel, the polyamide functions as an internal wetting agent. The polyamides may be non-polymerizable, and in this case, are incorporated into the silicone hydrogels as semi-interpenetrating networks. The polyamides are entrapped or physically retained within the silicone hydrogels. Alternatively, the polyamides may be polymerizable, for example as polyamide macromers or prepolymers, and in this case, are covalently incorporated into the silicone hydrogels. Mixtures of polymerizable and non-polymerizable polyamides may also be used.

When the polyamides are incorporated into the reactive monomer mixture they may have a weight average molecular weight of at least 100,000 daltons, greater than about 150,000; between about 150,000 to about 2,000,000 daltons; between about 300,000 to about 1,800,000 daltons. Higher molecular weight polyamides may be used if they are compatible with the reactive monomer mixture

Cross-Linking Agents

It is generally desirable to add one or more cross-linking agents, also referred to as cross-linking monomers, multi-functional macromers, and prepolymers, to the reactive mixture. The cross-linking agents may be selected from bifunctional crosslinkers, trifunctional crosslinkers, tetrafunctional crosslinkers, and mixtures thereof, including silicone-containing and non-silicone containing cross-linking agents. Non-silicone-containing cross-linking agents include ethylene glycol dimethacrylate (EGDMA), tetraethylene glycol dimethacrylate (TEGDMA), trimethylolpropane trimethacrylate (TMPTMA), triallyl cyanurate (TAC), glycerol trimethacrylate, methacryloxyethyl vinylcarbonate (HEMAVc), allyl methacrylate, methylene bisacrylamide (MBA), and polyethylene glycol dimethacrylate wherein the polyethylene glycol has a molecular weight up to about 5000 Daltons. The cross-linking agents are used in the usual amounts, e.g., from about 0.000415 to about 0.0156 mole per 100 grams of reactive Formulas in the reactive mixture. Alternatively, if the hydrophilic monomers and/or the silicone-containing components are multifunctional by molecular design or because of impurities, the addition of a cross-linking agent to the reactive mixture is optional. Examples of hydrophilic monomers and macromers which can act as the cross-linking agents and when present do not require the addition of an additional cross-linking agent to the reactive mixture include (meth)acrylate and (meth)acrylamide endcapped polyethers. Other cross-linking agents will be known to one skilled in the art and may be used to make the silicone hydrogel of the present invention.

It may be desirable to select crosslinking agents with similar reactivity to one or more of the other reactive components in the formulation. In some cases, it may be desirable to select a mixture of crosslinking agents with different reactivity in order to control some physical, mechanical or biological property of the resulting silicone hydrogel. The structure and morphology of the silicone hydrogel may also be influenced by the diluent(s) and cure conditions used.

Multifunctional silicone-containing components, including macromers, cross-linking agents, and prepolymers, may also be included to further increase the modulus and retain tensile strength. The silicone containing cross-linking agents may be used alone or in combination with other cross-linking agents. An example of a silicone containing component which can act as a cross-linking agent and, when present, does not require the addition of a crosslinking monomer to the reactive mixture includes α, ω-bismethacryloxypropyl polydimethylsiloxane.

Cross-linking agents that have rigid chemical structures and polymerizable groups that undergo free radical polymerization may also be used. Non-limiting examples of suitable rigid structures include cross-linking agents comprising phenyl and benzyl moieties, such are 1,4-phenylene diacrylate, 1,4-phenylene dimethacrylate, 2,2-bis(4-methacryloxyphenyl)-propane, 2,2-bis[4-(2-acryloxyethoxy)phenyl]propane, 2,2-bis[4-(2-hydroxy-3-methacryloxypropoxy)-phenyl]propane, and 4-vinylbenzyl methacrylate, and combinations thereof. Rigid crosslinking agents may be included in amounts between about 0.5 and about 15, or 2-10, 3-7 based upon the total weight of all of the reactive components. The physical and mechanical properties of the silicone hydrogels of the present invention may be optimized for a particular use by adjusting the components in the reactive mixture.

Non-limiting examples of silicone cross-linking agents also include the multi-functional silicone-containing components described above, such as compounds of Formula E (and its sub-formulae) and the multi-functional compounds shown in the tables above.

When the compositions described herein are used in silicone hydrogel contact lenses, the lens may preferably exhibit the following properties. All values are prefaced by “about,” and the lens may have any combination of the listed properties. The properties may be determined by methods known to those skilled in the art for instance as described in United States pre-grant publication US20180037690, which is incorporated herein by reference.

Water content weight % at least 20%, at least 25%, at least about 30%, or at least about 35%, and up to 80% or up to 70%.

Haze: 30% or less, or 10% or less

Advancing dynamic contact angle (Wilhelmy plate method): 100° or less, or 80° or less; or 50° or less.

Tensile Modulus (psi), 120 or less, or 80 to 120

Oxygen permeability (Dk, barrers): at least 80, or at least 100, or at least 150, or at least 200

Elongation to Break: at least 100

For ionic silicon hydrogels, the following properties may also be preferred (in addition to those recited above):

Lysozyme uptake (μg/lens): at least 100, or at least 150, or at least 500, or at least 700

Polyquaternium 1 (PQ 1) uptake (%): 15 or less, or 10 or less, or 5 or less

The examples below are intended to further illustrate certain aspects of the materials and methods described herein, and is not intended to limit the scope of the claims.

EXAMPLES

The present disclosure comprises at least the following examples. The examples below are intended to further illustrate certain aspects of the materials and methods described herein, and is not intended to limit the scope of the claims.

-   -   Aspect 1: A composition for light filtering, the composition         comprising: a base material, a plurality of gold nanoparticles         dispersed in the base material; a stabilizing mechanism disposed         to selectively couple with at least a portion of the plurality         of gold nanoparticles to enhance stability of at least the         portion of the plurality of gold nanoparticles in the base         material; and an anchoring mechanism disposed to promote         chemical conjugation of at least a portion of the plurality of         gold nanoparticles to the base material, wherein the composition         exhibits a peak light filtering value in the range of about 600         nm to about 1000 nm, and wherein the composition exhibits a         filtering spectrum having a full width at half maximum of about         58 nm-70 nm.     -   Aspect 2: The composition of aspect 1, wherein the base material         comprises a biomaterial.     -   Aspect 3: The composition of any one of aspect 1-2, wherein the         base material comprises a biomaterial matrix.     -   Aspect 4: The composition of any one of aspect 1-2, wherein the         base material comprises hydrogel.     -   Aspect 5: The composition of any one of aspect 1-2, wherein the         base material comprises silicone-based hydrogel.     -   Aspect 6: The composition of any one of aspect 1-5, wherein at         least a portion of the plurality of gold nanoparticles are grown         from a pentatwinned gold seed.     -   Aspect 7: The composition of any one of aspect 1-6, wherein at         least a portion of the plurality of gold nanoparticles have an         anisotropic shape.     -   Aspect 8: The composition of any one of aspect 1-7, wherein at         least a portion of the plurality of gold nanoparticles have a         bipyramid shape.     -   Aspect 9: The composition of aspect 8, wherein a sharpness of         the bipyramid shape is tuned such that the composition exhibits         a peak light filtering in the range of about 600 nm to about         1000 nm     -   Aspect 10: The composition of any one of aspect 1-9, wherein at         least a portion of the plurality of gold nanoparticles have with         each a pair of opposing truncated peaks disposed on opposing         ends.     -   Aspect 11: The composition of aspect 10, wherein a sharpness of         the bipyramid shape is tuned such that the composition a peak         light filtering in the range of about 600 nm to about 1000 nm.     -   Aspect 12: The composition of any one of aspect 1-11, wherein         the stabilizing mechanism enhances colloidal stability, thermal         stability, or both of at least the portion of the plurality of         gold nanoparticles in the base material     -   Aspect 13: The composition of any one of aspect 1-12, wherein         the stabilizing mechanism enhances biocompatibility of at least         the portion of the plurality of gold nanoparticles in the base         material     -   Aspect 14: The composition of any one of aspect 1-13, wherein         the stabilizing mechanism comprises poly(vinyl pyrrolidone).     -   Aspect 15: The composition of any one of aspect 1-13, wherein         the stabilizing mechanism comprises 10 kDa poly(vinyl         pyrrolidone).     -   Aspect 16: The composition ofany one of aspect 1-13, wherein the         stabilizing mechanism comprises 55 kDa poly(vinyl pyrrolidone).     -   Aspect 17: The composition of any one of aspect 1-13, wherein         the stabilizing mechanism comprises 360 kDa poly(vinyl         pyrrolidone).     -   Aspect 18: The composition of any one of aspect 1-13, wherein         the stabilizing mechanism comprises 1300 kDa poly(vinyl         pyrrolidone)     -   Aspect 19: The composition of any one of aspect 1-18, wherein         the stabilizing mechanism chemically binds with at least a         portion of the plurality of gold nanoparticles to enhance         colloidal stability of at least the portion of the plurality of         gold nanoparticles in the base material     -   Aspect 20: The composition of any one of aspect 1-19, wherein         the anchoring mechanism comprises a compound including a C═C         double bond.     -   Aspect 21: The composition of any one of aspect 1-19, wherein         the anchoring mechanism comprises methacrylate.     -   Aspect 22: The composition of any one of aspect 1-19, wherein         the anchoring mechanism comprises a thiolated compound.     -   Aspect 23: The composition of any one of aspect 1-19, wherein         the anchoring mechanism comprises thiolated methacrylate.     -   Aspect 24: The composition of any one of aspect 1-19, wherein         the anchoring mechanism comprises disulfide-based         dimethacrylate.     -   Aspect 25: The composition of any one of aspect 1-19, wherein         the anchoring mechanism comprises dimer         (bis(2-methacryloyl)oxyethyl disulfide.     -   Aspect 26: The composition of any one of aspect 1-25, wherein at         least a molar ratio of the stabilizing mechanism and the         anchoring mechanism is configured such that the composition         exhibits an filtering spectrum having a full width at half         maximum of about 58 nm 70 nm.     -   Aspect 27: The composition of any one of aspect 1-26, wherein an         article formed from the composition exhibits stability after         autoclaving     -   Aspect 28: A method of making the composition of any one of         aspects 1-27.     -   Aspect 29: A composition for light filtering, the composition         comprising: a base material, a plurality of metal nanoparticles         dispersed in the base material; a stabilizing mechanism disposed         to selectively couple with at least a portion of the plurality         of metal nanoparticles to enhance stability of at least the         portion of the plurality of metal nanoparticles in the base         material, and an anchoring mechanism disposed to promote         chemical conjugation of at least a portion of the plurality of         metal nanoparticles to the base material, wherein the         composition exhibits a peak light filtering value in the range         of about 600 nm to about 1000 nm, and wherein the composition         exhibits a filtering spectrum having a full width at half         maximum of about 58 nm-70 nm.     -   Aspect 30: The composition of aspect 29, wherein the base         material comprises a biomaterial, a biomaterial matrix,         hydrogel, or silicone-based hydrogel, or a combination thereof.     -   Aspect 31: The composition of any one of aspects 29-30, wherein         at least a portion of the plurality of metal nanoparticles have         an anisotropic shape.     -   Aspect 32: The composition of any one of aspects 29-31, wherein         at least a portion of the plurality of metal nanoparticles have         a bipyramid shape.     -   Aspect 33: The composition of aspect 32, wherein a sharpness of         the bipyramid shape is tuned such that the composition exhibits         a peak light filtering in the range of about 600 nm to about         1000 nm.     -   Aspect 34: The composition of any one of aspects 29-33, wherein         at least a portion of the plurality of metal nanoparticles have         with each a pair of opposing truncated peaks disposed on         opposing ends.     -   Aspect 35: The composition of aspect 34, wherein a sharpness of         the bipyramid shape is tuned such that the composition a peak         light filtering in the range of about 600 nm to about 1000 nm     -   Aspect 36: The composition of any one of aspects 29-35, wherein         the stabilizing mechanism enhances colloidal stability, thermal         stability, or both of at least the portion of the plurality of         metal nanoparticles in the base material     -   Aspect 37: The composition of any one of aspects 29-36, wherein         the stabilizing mechanism enhances biocompatibility of at least         the portion of the plurality of metal nanoparticles in the base         material     -   Aspect 38: The composition of any one of aspects 29-37, wherein         the stabilizing mechanism comprises poly(vinyl pyrrolidone).     -   Aspect 39: The composition of any one of aspects 29-37, wherein         the stabilizing mechanism comprises 10 kDa poly(vinyl         pyrrolidone), 55 kDa poly(vinyl pyrrolidone), 360 kDa poly(vinyl         pyrrolidone), or 1300 kDa poly(vinyl pyrrolidone), or a         combination thereof.     -   Aspect 40: The composition of any one of aspects 29-39, wherein         the stabilizing mechanism chemically binds with at least a         portion of the plurality of metal nanoparticles to enhance         colloidal stability of at least the portion of the plurality of         metal nanoparticles in the base material.     -   Aspect 41: The composition of any one of aspects 29-40, wherein         the anchoring mechanism comprises a compound including a C═C         double bond     -   Aspect 42: The composition of any one of aspects 29-40, wherein         the anchoring mechanism comprises methacrylate.     -   Aspect 43: The composition of any one of aspects 29-40, wherein         the anchoring mechanism comprises a thiolated compound.     -   Aspect 44: The composition of any one of aspects 29-40, wherein         the anchoring mechanism comprises thiolated methacrylate.     -   Aspect 45: The composition of any one of aspects 29-40, wherein         the anchoring mechanism comprises disulfide-based         dimethacrylate.     -   Aspect 46: The composition of any one of aspects 29-40, wherein         the anchoring mechanism comprises dimer         (bis(2-methacryloyl)oxyethyl disulfide     -   Aspect 47: The composition of any one of aspects 29-46, wherein         at least a molar ratio of the stabilizing mechanism and the         anchoring mechanism is configured such that the composition         exhibits an filtering spectrum having a full width at half         maximum of about 58 nm 70 nm.     -   Aspect 48: The composition of any one of aspects 29-47, wherein         an article formed from the composition exhibits stability after         autoclaving     -   Aspect 49: A method of making the composition of any one of         aspects 29-48.     -   Aspect 50: A composition for light filtering, the composition         comprising, a base material, a plurality of nanoparticles         dispersed in the base material, wherein the composition exhibits         a peak light filtering value in the range of about 600 nm to         about 1000 nm, and wherein the composition exhibits a filtering         spectrum having a full width at half maximum of about 58 nm-70         nm.     -   Aspect 51: The composition of claim 50, wherein the base         material comprises a biomaterial, a biomaterial matrix,         hydrogel, or silicone-based hydrogel, or a combination thereof.     -   Aspect 52: The composition of any one of aspects 50-51, wherein         the nanoparticles comprise plasmonic nanoparticles.     -   Aspect 53: The composition of any one of aspects 50-51, wherein         the nanoparticles comprise metal nanoparticles     -   Aspect 54: The composition of any one of aspects 50-51, wherein         the nanoparticles comprise gold nanoparticles.     -   Aspect 55: The composition of any one of aspects 50-54, wherein         an article formed from the composition exhibits stability after         autoclaving.     -   Aspect 56: A method of making the composition of any one of         aspects 50-55.

As an illustrative example, all as-synthesized BP samples were stabilized by a high concentration of cetyltrimethylammonium bromide (CTAB, ˜100 mM). While the high concentration of CTAB was necessary to produce the desired shape, CTAB has been shown to be highly cytotoxic and irritating to human cells (Alkilany, A. M., et al., Small, 5(6): 701-708(2009)). A strategy was derived to exchange the surface coating on the surface of the nanoparticles (NP's) to be more biocompatible and more easily integrated into a contact lens material.

Initial development assumed that coating nanoparticles in a similar material as the Etafilcon monomer mixture would enhance stability and integration, as shown in path i of FIG. 1 . Bis(2-methacryloyl)oxyethyl disulfide (or disulfide-based dimethacrylate, DSDMA) has been demonstrated to functionalize small, spherical gold nanoparticles (Biradar, S. C, et al., J. Mater. Chem., 2012). However, attempts to exchange CTAB in favor of DSDMA on the NP's resulted in a single, broad Localized Surface Plasmon Resonance (LSPR) peak, losing the selectivity of the original light blocker (FIG. 2 ). This loss of selectivity likely arose because DSDMA alone could not stabilize the NP's, either because of poor colloidal stabilization, thermal stabilization, solubility limitations, and/or undesired non-specific interactions with CTAB. To overcome this challenge, a system wherein the NP's were functionalized using a combined coating of a polymer (for stabilization) and DSDMA (for integration) was designed, as shown in paths ii and iii of FIG. 1 . Poly(vinyl pyrrolidone) (PVP) was chosen as the polymer due to its highly effective stabilizing of gold (Au) NP's and its use as a common ingredient in contact lenses. Alkanethiols have been shown to partially replace PVP on gold surfaces to produce a patchwork pattern of thiols interspersed with a PVP coating (Zhang, S., et al., Langmuir, 33(15): 3576-3587 (2017)). A process was designed to leverage a partial replacement of PVP with DSDMA to produce colloidally stable NP's capable of covalent integration into Etafilcon contact lenses.

Nanobipyramid samples (BPs) were thrice centrifuged at 12,000×g for 15 min. The first two resuspensions were with MilliQ (10 ml and 5 ml, respectively), and the last resuspension was with 1 mM CTAB (3 ml). Samples underwent sonication for at least 30 sec between centrifugations to ensure resuspension. Purified BPs (3 nil) were then added dropwise to a solution of 10% PVP in ethanol (3 ml) and 6% sodium dodecyl sulfate (0.3 ml) and stirred at 40° C. overnight in an oil bath. Due to solubility constraints, solutions of larger PVP polymers (360 kDa and 1300 kDa) were heated to 60° C. and stirred vigorously to dissolve prior to addition of BPs. Samples were then transferred to 1.7 mi microcentrifuge tubes (1.5 ml each; 4 per sample) and centrifuged twice at 21,000×g for 25 min. The NPs were resuspended with 1 ml and 250 μl MilliQ respectively via sonication and vortexing. These PVP NPs (250 μl) were added slowly to a solution of Dimethylformamide (DMF) (300 μl) containing the desired amount of DSDMA (5-50 μl). The mixture was vortexed for 10 s and allowed to sit at room temperature for 2 h. Samples were then twice centrifuged at 21,000×g for 20 min and re-suspended in 1 ml and 10 μl HEMA, respectively. Samples were sonicated for at least 5 min to facilitate NP re-suspension.

In the above process, DMF was chosen for use in the ligand exchange process after experimentation with other potential chemicals. For instance, ethanol produced significant turbidity/cloudiness in all samples. When added to ethanol, DSDMA formed small white precipitates. This solvent incompatibility was further emphasized with the addition of BPs in water, producing a cloudy, phase separated solution, as shown in FIG. 3 . Tetrahydrofuran (THF) also produced unacceptable results, as shown in FIG. 4 . Though a useful alternative to ethanol, since it could better dissolve DSDMA without the formation of precipitates, phase separation upon addition of BPs occurred when using THF Other chemicals were also tested, producing undesirable results and leading to the choice of DMF.

Partial coating with methacrylate retained the original LSPR peaks with some minor broadening effects. Increasing added DSDMA and longer incubation times both led to peak broadening, as shown in FIGS. 5A and 5B, and a decrease in homogeneous, one-phase dispersion, as shown in FIGS. 5C-5D, most likely due to increased replacement of PVP on the NP surface. The time scales of this replacement were consistent with existing studies (Zhang, S., et al., Langmuir, 33(15): 3576-3587 (2017)). In order to minimize LSPR peak broadening and maximize methacrylation, 25×DSDMA was incubated with the NP's for 2 h. The resultant methacrylated NP's quickly crashed out if suspended in water but dispersed readily in HEMA.

FTIR spectroscopy was used to confirm the desired surface modifications of the NP's. FIG. 6 shows a comparison of the workflow from the as-synthesized. CTAB-coated NP's with the intermediate PVP-NP's and the PVP-DSDMA NP final product. The PVP-DSDMA NP sample had peaks at 1640 cm⁻¹ (C═C stretch) and 1721 cm⁻¹ (C═O), which were consistent with literature for DSDMA (Biradar, S C., J. Mater. Chem., 22(19): 10000 (2012)). Especially important was the presence of unsaturated C═C bonds in the PVP-DSDMA NP's because this bond participated in the radical polymerization process with the Etafilcon monomer mixture upon curing. Both PVP and PVP-DSDMA NP samples contained a contribution at 1658 cm⁻¹ (C═O), which was expected. The twin peaks at 2800-2900 cm⁻¹ (C—H stretch) were present in both NP samples but significantly lower in the PVP-DSDMA NP sample, which was consistent with replacement of PVP on the nanoparticle surface.

Cast-molding was used to produce contact lenses from Etafilcon A. Twelve drops of Etafilcon A monomer mixture were added directly to the NP solution in HEMA and vortexed to disperse. Due to the high reactivity of the Etafilcon A photoinitiator, samples were kept in the dark and were not sonicated. In an environment shielded from dust and blue light, one pair of lenses was made from each sample by dispensing 6 drops of the Etafilcon-NP mixture in molds for each lens. Samples were cured using 365 nm UV irradiation for 20 min at RT. The cured lenses were then hydrated in MilliQ at 60° C. for about 5 min before lens molds were removed. Hydrated lenses were added to 2.5 ml MilliQ in a 24-well microplate (Falcon 24-well polystyrene multiwell plate, Cat. No. CA15705-060) for imaging and storage. Images were taken using an EOS Rebel T7i with EF 100 mm macro lens, Canon Canada, Inc., Toronto, ON, Canada under ambient lighting.

FIG. 7 is a snapshot of the different surface chemistries tested in nanoparticle-laden contact lenses. Unmodified NP's (coated in CTAB) were stable in water but incompatible with the Etafilcon monomer mixture, leading to a broad LSPR peak similar to the results shown in FIG. 2A Moreover, the instability of fully methacrylated NP's (DSDMA only) shown in HEMA was replicated in Etafilcon, as expected. The use of PVP provided both thermal stability to the NPs for autoclaving as well as colloidal stability to the NPs for integration into the Etafilcon lenses. Partial replacement with DSDMA (PVP-DSDMA) retained the LSPR peak, as shown in FIG. 7 , and increased NP integration into Etafilcon lenses (FIG. 8 ). The combination of PVP and DSDMA thus combined the stability of the PVP material and the covalent integration of DSDMA (via radical polymerization with Etafilcon) to produce a highly stable NP-laden contact lens. The PVP and PVP-DSDMA NP's were well dispersed within the contact lenses, producing a consistent color profile (FIG. 8 ).

The retention of Au in the contact lenses using ICP-MS was assessed (Table 1). For each lens pair, 5.5 ml MilliQ and the desired lenses were added to a 7 ml borosilicate glass vial. Vials were autoclaved with loosened caps using a Tuttnauer Brinkmann 3850E autoclave with a liquid cycle of about 121° C. at an overpressure of about 290 kPa up to about 360 kPa for about 30 min. Prior to analysis, samples were cooled in a water bath and lenses were removed and placed in 2.75 ml MilliQ in a 24-well microplate for UV-Vis spectrometry and storage. NP-laden contact lenses were then stored in ultrapure water at room temperature for the indicated times in Table 1. The Au concentration in either the autoclave or storage medium was measured for each pair of lenses. Inductively Coupled Plasma Mass Spectrometry (ICP-MS) was carried out using a Thermo Scientific iCAP Q ICP-MS with He kinetic energy discrimination and a Bi internal standard of 20 ppb. Autoclaved media and storage media (5.5 ml) for each lens pair were spiked with 160 μl 67-70% ultrapure HNO₃ to produce a final solution of 2% HNO₃ for analysis. Autoclaving generally produced <10 ppb Au (the only exception being the DSDMA only sample, which was likely due to aggregation and poor lens integration). Long-term storage led to even less Au leaching. Methacrylation generally decreased leaching in both situations compared to samples containing only PVP. Further leaching results following autoclaving are provided in FIGS. 9-10 .

TABLE 1 Au retention in contact lenses after autoclaving and long-term storage. Autoclave Storage Leaching Sample (Au, ppb) (days) (Au, ppb) PVP (55 kDa) 6.9 7 2.8 PVP-DSDMA (25x DSDMA) 6.5 7 1.2 PVP-DSDMA (50x DSDMA) 3.4 7 0.35 DSDMA only 13.7 7 5.1 PVP (360 kDa) 0.23 14 1.4 PVP-DSDMA (360 kDa) 2.8 14 2.9 PVP (1300 kDa) 7.4 14 1.5 PVP-DSDMA (1300 kDa) 0.89 14 0.45

The systems, methods, compositions, and devices of the appended claims are not limited in scope by the specific materials and devices described herein, which are intended as illustrations of a few aspects of the claims. Any systems, methods, compositions, and devices that are functionally equivalent are intended to fall within the scope of the claims. Various modifications of the systems, methods, compositions, and devices in addition to those shown and described herein are intended to fall within the scope of the appended claims. Further, while only certain representative systems, methods, compositions, and devices disclosed herein are specifically described, other combinations of the systems, methods, compositions, and devices are also are intended to fall within the scope of the appended claims, even if not specifically recited. Thus, a combination of elements, components, or constituents may be explicitly mentioned herein or less, however, other combinations of elements, components, and constituents are included, even though not explicitly stated.

The term “comprising” and variations thereof as used herein is used synonymously with the term “including” and variations thereof and are open, non-limiting terms. Although the terms “comprising” and “including” have been used herein to describe various embodiments, the terms “consisting essentially of” and “consisting of” can be used in place of “comprising” and “including” to provide for more specific embodiments of the invention and are also disclosed. Other than where noted, all numbers expressing geometries, dimensions, and so forth used in the specification and claims are to be understood at the very least, and not as an attempt to limit the application of the doctrine of equivalents to the scope of the claims, to be construed in light of the number of significant digits and ordinary rounding approaches.

Unless defined otherwise, all technical and scientific terms used herein have the same meanings as commonly understood by one of skill in the art to which the disclosed invention belongs. Publications cited herein and the materials for which they are cited are specifically incorporated by reference. 

What is claimed is:
 1. A composition for light filtering, the composition comprising: a base material; a plurality of gold nanoparticles dispersed in the base material; a stabilizing mechanism disposed to selectively couple with at least a portion of the plurality of gold nanoparticles to enhance stability of at least the portion of the plurality of gold nanoparticles in the base material; and an anchoring mechanism disposed to promote chemical conjugation of at least a portion of the plurality of gold nanoparticles to the base material, wherein the composition exhibits a peak light filtering value in the range of about 600 nm to about 1000 nm, and wherein the composition exhibits a filtering spectrum having a full width at half maximum of about 58 nm-70 nm.
 2. The composition of claim 1, wherein the base material comprises a biomaterial.
 3. The composition of claim 1, wherein the base material comprises a biomaterial matrix.
 4. The composition of claim 1, wherein the base material comprises hydrogel.
 5. The composition of claim 1, wherein the base material comprises silicone-based hydrogel.
 6. The composition of claim 1, wherein at least a portion of the plurality of gold nanoparticles are grown from a pentatwinned gold seed.
 7. The composition of claim 1, wherein at least a portion of the plurality of gold nanoparticles have an anisotropic shape.
 8. The composition of claim 1, wherein at least a portion of the plurality of gold nanoparticles have a bipyramid shape.
 9. The composition of claim 8, wherein a sharpness of the bipyramid shape is tuned such that the composition exhibits a peak light filtering in the range of about 600 nm to about 1000 nm.
 10. The composition of claim 1, wherein at least a portion of the plurality of gold nanoparticles have with each a pair of opposing truncated peaks disposed on opposing ends.
 11. The composition of claim 10, wherein a sharpness of the bipyramid shape is tuned such that the composition a peak light filtering in the range of about 600 nm to about 1000 nm.
 12. The composition of claim 1, wherein the stabilizing mechanism enhances colloidal stability, thermal stability, or both of at least the portion of the plurality of gold nanoparticles in the base material.
 13. The composition of claim 1, wherein the stabilizing mechanism enhances biocompatibility of at least the portion of the plurality of gold nanoparticles in the base material.
 14. The composition of claim 1, wherein the stabilizing mechanism comprises poly(vinyl pyrrolidone).
 15. The composition of claim 1, wherein the stabilizing mechanism comprises 10 kDa poly(vinyl pyrrolidone).
 16. The composition of claim 1, wherein the stabilizing mechanism comprises 55 kDa poly(vinyl pyrrolidone).
 17. The composition of claim 1, wherein the stabilizing mechanism comprises 360 kDa poly(vinyl pyrrolidone).
 18. The composition of claim 1, wherein the stabilizing mechanism comprises 1300 kDa poly(vinyl pyrrolidone).
 19. The composition of claim 1, wherein the stabilizing mechanism chemically binds with at least a portion of the plurality of gold nanoparticles to enhance colloidal stability of at least the portion of the plurality of gold nanoparticles in the base material.
 20. The composition of claim 1, wherein the anchoring mechanism comprises a compound including a C═C double bond.
 21. The composition of claim 1, wherein the anchoring mechanism comprises methacrylate.
 22. The composition of claim 1, wherein the anchoring mechanism comprises a thiolated compound.
 23. The composition of claim 1, wherein the anchoring mechanism comprises thiolated methacrylate.
 24. The composition of claim 1, wherein the anchoring mechanism comprises disulfide-based dimethacrylate.
 25. The composition of claim 1, wherein the anchoring mechanism comprises dimer (bis(2-methacryloyl)oxyethyl disulfide.
 26. The composition of claim 1, wherein at least a molar ratio of the stabilizing mechanism and the anchoring mechanism is configured such that the composition exhibits an filtering spectrum having a full width at half maximum of about 58 nm-70 nm.
 27. The composition of claim 1, wherein an article formed from the composition exhibits stability after autoclaving.
 28. A method of making the composition of claim
 1. 29. A composition for light filtering, the composition comprising: a base material; a plurality of metal nanoparticles dispersed in the base material; a stabilizing mechanism disposed to selectively couple with at least a portion of the plurality of metal nanoparticles to enhance stability of at least the portion of the plurality of metal nanoparticles in the base material; and an anchoring mechanism disposed to promote chemical conjugation of at least a portion of the plurality of metal nanoparticles to the base material, wherein the composition exhibits a peak light filtering value in the range of about 600 nm to about 1000 nm, and wherein the composition exhibits a filtering spectrum having a full width at half maximum of about 58 nm 70 nm.
 30. The composition of claim 29, wherein the base material comprises a biomaterial, a biomaterial matrix, hydrogel, or silicone-based hydrogel, or a combination thereof.
 31. The composition of claim 29, wherein at least a portion of the plurality of metal nanoparticles have an anisotropic shape.
 32. The composition of claim 29, wherein at least a portion of the plurality of metal nanoparticles have a bipyramid shape.
 33. The composition of claim 32, wherein a sharpness of the bipyramid shape is tuned such that the composition exhibits a peak light filtering in the range of about 600 nm to about 1000 nm.
 34. The composition of claim 29, wherein at least a portion of the plurality of metal nanoparticles have with each a pair of opposing truncated peaks disposed on opposing ends.
 35. The composition of claim 34, wherein a sharpness of the bipyramid shape is tuned such that the composition a peak light filtering in the range of about 600 nm to about 1000 nm.
 36. The composition of claim 29, wherein the stabilizing mechanism enhances colloidal stability, thermal stability, or both of at least the portion of the plurality of metal nanoparticles in the base material.
 37. The composition of claim 29, wherein the stabilizing mechanism enhances biocompatibility of at least the portion of the plurality of metal nanoparticles in the base material.
 38. The composition of claim 29, wherein the stabilizing mechanism comprises poly(vinyl pyrrolidone).
 39. The composition of claim 29, wherein the stabilizing mechanism comprises 10 kDa poly(vinyl pyrrolidone), 55 kDa poly(vinyl pyrrolidone), 360 kDa poly(vinyl pyrrolidone), or 1300 kDa poly(vinyl pyrrolidone), or a combination thereof.
 40. The composition of claim 29, wherein the stabilizing mechanism chemically binds with at least a portion of the plurality of metal nanoparticles to enhance colloidal stability of at least the portion of the plurality of metal nanoparticles in the base material.
 41. The composition of claim 29, wherein the anchoring mechanism comprises a compound including a C═C double bond.
 42. The composition of claim 29, wherein the anchoring mechanism comprises methacrylate.
 43. The composition of claim 29, wherein the anchoring mechanism comprises a thiolated compound.
 44. The composition of claim 29, wherein the anchoring mechanism comprises thiolated methacrylate.
 45. The composition of claim 29, wherein the anchoring mechanism comprises disulfide-based dimethacrylate.
 46. The composition of claim 29, wherein the anchoring mechanism comprises diner (bis(2-methacryloyl)oxyethyl disulfide.
 47. The composition of claim 29, wherein at least a molar ratio of the stabilizing mechanism and the anchoring mechanism is configured such that the composition exhibits an filtering spectrum having a full width at half maximum of about 58 nm-70 nm.
 48. The composition of claim 29, wherein an article formed from the composition exhibits stability after autoclaving.
 49. A method of making the composition of claim
 29. 50. A composition for light filtering, the composition comprising a base material; a plurality of nanoparticles dispersed in the base material; wherein the composition exhibits a peak light filtering value in the range of about 600 nm to about 1000 nm, and wherein the composition exhibits a filtering spectrum having a full width at half maximum of about 58 nm-70 nm.
 51. The composition of claim 50, wherein the base material comprises a biomaterial, a biomaterial matrix, hydrogel, or silicone-based hydrogel, or a combination thereof.
 52. The composition of claim 50, wherein the nanoparticles comprise plasmonic nanoparticles.
 53. The composition of claim 50, wherein the nanoparticles comprise metal nanoparticles.
 54. The composition of claim 50, wherein the nanoparticles comprise gold nanoparticles.
 55. The composition of claim 50, wherein an article formed from the composition exhibits stability after autoclaving.
 56. A method of making the composition of claim
 50. 57. A contact lens comprising a composition for light filtering, wherein the composition exhibits a peak light filtering value in the range of about 600 nm to about 1000 nm, and wherein the composition exhibits a filtering spectrum having a full width at half maximum of about 58 nm-70 nm, wherein the contact lens is a free radical reaction product of a reactive mixture comprising: one or more silicone-containing components and one or more hydrophilic components; the contact lens having a water content of at least about 20 weight percent and an oxygen permeability of at least about 80 barrers. 